


Locker Rollercoasters

by muddyrockxo



Category: Strictly Come Dancing RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Strictly Come Dancing Fusion, Childhood Friends, Dancing, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/F, Friends to Lovers, I Can't Believe I Wrote This, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, M/M, Old Friends, School, Why Did I Write This?, let's dance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-20
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:55:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 38
Words: 143,443
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26568385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/muddyrockxo/pseuds/muddyrockxo
Summary: "I'm really sorry, Craig. But... I can't ever be friends with Joachim Llambi. I just... can't."From attempting to find out whether there really is more to Jason Gardiner than meets the eye to dealing with success and failure, from first love to friendships under strain, it's obvious that the last year of school for Craig, Joachim, Jorge, Motsi and Jonathan isn't going to be a smooth ride..Completely AU.Let's Dance Germany/Strictly Come Dancing/Dancing On Ice crossover.
Relationships: Craig Revel Horwood/Undisclosed
Kudos: 1





	1. the good in him

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys! So two years ago now, I wrote a story called Locker Romances. It followed the lives of Bruno, Darcey, Shirley and Craig in an alternate universe where they all went to school together, and a few other characters besides. 
> 
> Now, with what I hope is an improved writing style and fresh ideas, I've decided to rewrite this story, under a slightly new name (this was originally the name of the prequel) and featuring some new characters. Jason, for instance, was never in the original, but I've decided to include him in this one instead. 
> 
> I really hope you'll all enjoy this story! I'll update as frequently as possible. 
> 
> Let me know what you think already! 
> 
> Until the next update, stay safe, stay happy and stay tuned! ❤

"Those were possibly the most boring two hours of my entire life," Craig moaned, as all of the students gathered up their things ready to go to the canteen for lunch. "I mean, when am I ever going to need to apply trigonometry and the quadratic formula to normal, everyday life?" 

"I actually quite enjoyed it," Jonathan, Craig's boyfriend, replied, as he slipped his bulky maths textbook into his bag. "It's quite easy when you get the..." 

"All right, all right, Einstein! Sadly I'm not a maths whizz like you are," Craig rolled his eyes playfully at the younger boy. He had been dating him for almost four months now - they had made their relationship official on the last day of year ten's summer mocks - and they were extremely happy together, though in many ways they were extremely different from one another. "Honestly, it'll be a miracle if I pass GCSE maths in June." 

"You will pass. Like I've been telling you all along, you just need to believe in yourself," Jonathan replied, as they made it successfully to their usual table and sat down. 

"Thank you, Jonno. I hope you're right and I do pass," Craig said, opening his lunchbox and taking out his sandwich. 

"Well maybe if you spent less time farting around in the drama club and more time actually studying, you'd pass!" 

Craig didn't even have to look up to know who the speaker was. Looking up into his fellow year 11 student's cold blue eyes, he replied with a stuttery voice "well not everyone is as clever as you are." 

"I had noticed," Jason Gardiner said sarcastically, before stalking off to his table in the corner and opening the textbook he had been carrying under his arm. 

If there was one student at their school that everyone knew the names of, from the smallest year sevens to the sixth form students, Jason Gardiner was that student. And his name was known, unfortunately, for all the wrong reasons. 

Jason had joined the school almost halfway through year ten, his first day being the first day back after the Christmas holidays. Originally from Australia, he had attended another school in London before arriving at this school, but nobody knew much about where he had been before. In fact, people knew very little about Jason Gardiner, other than the fact that he was adopted, that he was extremely intelligent, and that he lived in a huge house with his brother and his parents. 

Craig watched his fellow Australian now as he sat there eating. Jason was currently scribbling notes from the textbook, a sandwich in his free hand - whenever you saw him around school, no matter what time of day it was, he was guaranteed to be revising or doing some form of school work. In the mornings, he always arrived half an hour early and sat in the library making notes. At breaktimes, he would sit there eating his snack whilst reading the textbook. Craig couldn't stand him - Jason constantly insulted and made fun of him for every little thing that he did - but he had to admire his intelligence and his work ethic. 

And though he couldn't stand him, Craig couldn't help but feel sorry for him. Everyone else had somebody sitting with them, and then there was Jason, sitting all alone with only a textbook for company. 

"I actually feel really bad for him..." Craig remarked, as he continued to watch his classmate studying, in his own world.

"Why? He's literally horrible to you and all of us," a voice said from behind them, and both Craig and Jonathan smiled to see that Motsi had arrived at the table with her two friends - Jorge Gonzalez and Joachim Llambi. 

Jorge and Motsi had arrived at the school at the same time, in year nine - they had both been living in Germany before they moved and, having been best friends since they were seven, had moved to the UK together with their families. German-Spanish Joachim had arrived at the start of year 10, and soon became friends with Jorge and Motsi after they shared a conversation about living in Germany. They were now inseparable, and they often hung out with Craig and Jonathan - and Bruno Tonioli, Craig's childhood best friend, who was off school sick today. 

"People aren't usually horrible to other people without a reason," Craig replied. "And they're generally unhappy people. I mean, when have you ever insulted someone or made someone feel bad because you're happy?" 

"What's he got to be unhappy about? He's the cleverest student in our year, he's obviously going to get all A*s across the board in his exams next summer, his family is relatively rich, and the only reason he doesn't have any friends is because he treats everyone so terribly!" 

"Being intelligent and having money doesn't automatically equal happiness," Craig replied wisely. "I mean, I'm not the most intelligent of people and my family certainly aren't that well off.. but that doesn't mean I'm unhappy." 

"Well then, why don't you go and talk to him?" 

Craig looked over at Jason once more, who was still absorbed in his textbook, and decided that he would do just that. He did really feel sorry for him, although he had been on the receiving end of verbal abuse from him several times, and hoped that maybe going over and talking to him would make him feel less lonely. 

Finishing up his vegemite sandwich, he left the table he was sitting on with his friends and made his way over to Jason's table on the other side of the room. 

"Hello," he said softly, standing next to Jason's chair. 

Jason was so absorbed in his work that he didn't even hear him, so Craig raised his voice and said a little louder, "hello!" 

"Oh.. hi," Jason said, seemingly smiling before a frown appeared on his face almost instantaneously. "Um... What do you want?" 

"I just.. are you okay? I saw you were sitting on your own." 

"I'm perfectly fine, thank you," replied Jason, curtly. "And for your information, I like it that way." 

Craig didn't quite know what to say after that, because he knew that whatever he said would elicit a curt response, so he merely asked, "what are you doing?" 

"I'm riding a unicycle in a sequined thong," snapped Jason. "Don't be so bloody stupid, Horwood... what does it look like I'm doing? I'm revising biology obviously... so that I won't be bottom of the class like you."

That remark hurt Craig. Science and maths were the two subjects that he was worst at. He was average at all of his subjects, except science and maths - he had never quite gotten to grips with them. He was attending extra classes, and really working hard, but his grades just never seemed to improve. 

"Okay, I'm sorry," Craig said rather sadly. "I was just... trying to make conversation." 

"Well, don't! I don't want to talk to you. I don't want to talk to anybody. Just go back to your little friends and leave me alone!" Jason burst out, and Craig did as the Australian told him, heading back to his table. 

"I'm guessing that didn't go well, then..?" Jonathan began, as Craig slipped back into his seat, looking over at Jason, who was already absorbed in his book again. 

"He told me to leave him alone and told me that he was revising biology so that he wouldn't be bottom of the class like me," Craig replied. 

"See what I told you..? He treats people like shit!" 

"Craigy, I honestly don't see what you see in him," Jonathan sighed. "I know you have this thing about trying to see the good in everybody, but I don't see what good you see in him." 

"Almost everyone has good in them, if you try hard enough to find it," Craig replied. "One thing I did notice though... he smiled as I went over, before he was horrible to me. Almost as if he was grateful for the company, but then went back to his usual self." 

"I think you're trying too hard to find the good in him, personally, but think what you like," Joachim said with finality, giving Craig the impression that the subject was closed, and went straight back to his sandwich. 

They said no more about Jason Gardiner that lunchtime, but by the time the bell rang and they headed back to classes, Craig had made a decision inside his head. 

By the time that they finished their exams and left school next summer, he was going to befriend Jason Gardiner and try to uncover the reason why he was the way he was.


	2. next friday night

He got his chance that very same day. 

After dinner that night, Craig went up to his room and settled down at his desk to do his homework. Due in for tomorrow was a sheet of trigonometry, which was not something that Craig had ever quite gotten to grips with. Usually, he would ask Jonathan for help, but Jonathan wasn't at home tonight as it was his older sister Amelia's birthday and his family were all going out for a meal. So this time, he had to struggle alone and get it done. 

It soon turned out, however, that Craig had no idea how to complete them. No matter what method he tried, or what combination of numbers he put into his calculator, he just couldn't get an answer that sounded right. He knew that he would get into big trouble if he didn't answer them correctly, and that he would get into big trouble if he didn't attempt them at all.. so really, he was in an impossible situation. 

He wondered if maybe he could call one of his other friends for help, someone that wasn't Jonathan. Joachim and Bruno were decent at maths, but neither of them were particularly keen on helping Craig out. Jorge was about the same level of maths as Craig himself was, and Motsi wasn't much of a fan of maths either, so Craig wasn't quite sure what to do. 

All of a sudden, Craig got a crazy idea in his head, one he thought he would never even consider. It was maybe not the best of ideas, and would probably end in failure anyway, but at least he could say he had tried it. If it did end in failure, he would just take the option of getting them all wrong and have the teacher shout at him. 

He was going to call someone his friends never spoke to, who he never spoke to that much. It was someone Craig thought he would never ask for help, as he looked blatantly down on those less intelligent than himself, and was extremely difficult to talk to. 

He took out his mobile from where he hid it when he was revising and switched it on. He scrolled a little way down his contacts to find Jason Gardiner's number - he had added it to his contacts a few months ago when the teacher had asked Jason to send Craig the class work one day when he was unwell - and pressed the call option, hoping that Jason was in and wouldn't decline the call the second that he saw who it was. 

Surprisingly, after two rings, Jason picked up. 

"Hello?" an Australian accent said on the other end of the phone. 

Don't fuck this up, Craig.. or you'll never hear the end of it, Craig's brain told him, as he tried to think how to answer. 

"Hello? Is anyone actually there?" 

"Hi, Jason, it's Craig Revel Horwood from school," Craig explained. 

"I know who it is... surprisingly, I can read," Jason replied in his usual sarcastic tone. "What are you even calling me for?" 

"Um.. have you.. have you by any chance done this week's maths homework?" 

"Yeah, of course I have, I finished it the day we got it. Why?" 

"Is there... is there any chance you could help me with it? My friends won't help me with it and I don't understand it," Craig said nervously, scared he would say no and slam the phone down, and then humiliate him at school the next day.. something Jason Gardiner would be very likely to do. 

"Your boyfriend's services aren't available then?" 

"No.. he's out all evening and none of my other friends are going to help me. Please?" 

"Very well! Come over to my house and we'll do it together," he snapped, finally. "I live on Ivy Street, number 65, got it? And believe me, Craig.. this isn't because I like you. It's because I don't have anything better to do." 

Craig ended the call gratefully, knowing exactly where Ivy Street was. It was a ten minute walk from his house, so not too far a walk away at all. He gathered up his stuff as quickly as possible, went and asked his mum if he could go, and once he had permission to leave the house, he got on his bike and cycled all the way to Ivy Street. 

When Craig knocked on the door of number 65, Jason appeared there a few seconds later in a casual vest and jeans. 

"Hello," Craig said nervously. 

"Hi!" his fellow Australian said with a big smile on his face, grinning like he'd never grinned at Craig before. "How are you? Come in!" 

Craig was quite frankly taken aback by how nice he was being to him, and was even more shocked when Jason grabbed hold of his arm and pulled him inside to meet his family- who were all sat watching TV. Craig had heard about Jason's parents and brother, but had never actually met them, and he was surprised to see how alike they looked. Although Jason was adopted, he and his brother resembled one another, and Jason had exactly the same colour hair as his dad. 

"Mum, Dad, Jamie this is my classmate, Craig Revel Horwood," said Jason happily. "You know... he's the Australian one with the huge family that I told you about. Craig, these are my parents, and my brother Jamie." 

"Lovely to meet you, Craig!" his mum smiled, getting up and giving Craig a hug, reminding him a lot of his own mother nature-wise. Jason's dad smiled at him as well and shook his hand, and even Jamie nodded and said, "g'day mate" in an extremely strong Australian accent. 

"I'm going to take Craig up to work on that maths homework," Jason said, patting Craig on the back and surprising him even more. 

With a smile on his face, he led Craig up to his bedroom, which was a big, spacious room with loads of posters stuck on the walls. As Craig walked around the room, he realised that they were theatre posters.. posters from all the most famous West End shows. My Fair Lady, Little Shop of Horrors, Cats, 42nd Street... literally every theatre show Craig could think of, Jason had up in his room. 

Craig could barely hide his surprise at the fact that the man who had for months bullied him for being part of the drama club at school, loved musicals himself. Turning around to Jason with bright eyes, he practically exclaimed, "I never knew that you.. liked musicals!" 

"Well, of course you didn't know that, seeing as only my friends know.. And you aren't one of them," snapped Jason, his friendly, cheerful side no longer. "And if you tell anyone at school about this, and I repeat, anyone, then you'll be very, very sorry indeed." 

"I won't tell anyone, I promise. I don't tell people's secrets. But Jason... why, when you invited me in, were you so nice to me if you hate my guts?"

"Oh my days, are you honestly that thick?" Jason snapped. "Did it never occur to you I might be putting up an act in front of my parents?" 

"Oh yeah," I said, realising. "But why?" 

"For two reasons. Firstly, my dad goes mad if I don't treat people with 'respect', so even though I have absolutely zero respect for you, I have to act like that so my dad won't go mental - trust me, you don't want to see my dad mental. And also, because my mother, as soon as she found out I'd invited you round for a maths lesson, said how 'nice' the Horwood family was and how we should have them all round for dinner next Friday night because of how much we have in common, being from Australia and all," Jason replied curtly, rolling his eyes. "So though I don't like you, and I never will... if your mum and dad agree, it looks like we will be spending Friday night together whilst our parents have dinner." 

Craig wasn't entirely sure how to feel about that idea. He wanted to befriend Jason, get to the bottom of why exactly he acted the way he did all of the time, but at the same time he wasn't so sure. Maybe Joachim had been right when he had said that trying to make friends with Jason was a waste of time..? Maybe he should take the advice of his friends and realise that perhaps, for once, there was no good in the person that stood in front of him? 

"Why are you so horrible to me?" Craig asked nervously, not knowing quite what else to say. 

"Because it's fun," said Jason rudely, laughing. "Now, can we please do the maths, which is the only reason you're even in my bedroom?" 

Craig nodded, sat tentatively down at the desk next to Jason, and let his classmate take his book off him. 

"Right. I don't usually do people's homework for them, and I think copying is an awful idea, but because it's late, I'll do all the answers for you just this once. On the condition you never tell anyone I did them for you," Jason said, taking a pen out his pencil case. "Can you write a sentence on this piece of paper?" 

"Why?" Craig asked confusedly.

"So that I can copy your handwriting, idiot," he groaned. "Do you really think the teachers will accept work from you that was obviously done by me? If anyone finds out, we'd be done for, and I don't want to spend my valuable time in detention, thank you very much. I have better things to do than that."

Craig wrote My name is Craig Revel Horwood on the paper obediently - the first sentence that came to mind - then Jason took a pen and began to scribble down the answers in handwriting that looked as alike to Craig's as possible. In five minutes flat, he had completed the questions, and Craig was in awe of how quick minded his fellow Australian was at mathematics. 

"There you go," he replied, in a much lighter tone. "I've made a few deliberately wrong so that it won't be so obvious.. the teacher will never believe you got all of them right." 

Craig nodded. "Thanks.. thank you, Jason." 

Jason said nothing to that, but instead reached into one of his folders and practically thrust a piece of paper at the older boy. 

"What's this?" 

"I know you don't like physics either. And I'm presuming you've not completed the homework... so use my answers. As I said, I wouldn't usually let anyone copy me.. but I guess it'll be fine this once." 

"Thank you so much, Jason," Craig sighed gratefully, scribbling down the answers quickly and handing the sheet back to Jason. "How.. how can I ever repay you?" 

"In two ways. You can never tell anyone about this... and you can also never tell anyone that we're probably going to be having dinner together next Friday," Jason replied curtly, putting the sheet safely away in his folder once more. "Apart from to your family... don't breathe a word!" 

Just then, as Craig was thinking about how to reply, his phone rang and he pressed the answer button, lifting the device to his ear. 

"Hey! Oh.. hi, Ashley. Yes, of course! I'll get my helmet... see you in ten." With that, he terminated the call and turned to Craig. 

"Right, you need to get out of here.. my friend is coming round here in a few minutes," Jason said firmly. 

"Okay." 

"And yes, before you ask, I do have friends. I'm not a complete loser, unlike you," Jason said in his usual curt tone, rolling his eyes. 

"Enjoy your evening.." Craig managed to say. "See you around in school, but I'll see you properly next Friday." 

"You will, seeing as my family want to make friends with yours," Jason said, rolling his eyes again. "Gosh, I can hardly wait. The excitement is killing me." 

"Goodbye, Jason. Thanks for the help," Craig ignored the older boy, knowing that answering back was never a good idea. 

And with that, he left the Australian's room, wondering whether they really would have dinner together next Friday night, and whether it would go well or not.


	3. dramatic

"Double PE after lunch," Joachim announced to his friends, as they sat down at their usual table in the cafeteria. Jason, as usual, was sitting alone, but Craig knew that going over to him would be a bad idea. After all, he wanted nobody to know that they were having dinner together tonight, so he suspected that he would probably get harshly turned away if he went over now. So he stayed at the table with his friends, although he did find himself looking over at Jason every now and then and wondering if maybe more went on in that boy's head than anyone realised. "And I frankly can't wait. PE is probably my favourite lesson." 

"Joachim Llambi, I thought you hated sports?" Jorge raised his eyebrows, amused. 

"Well.. most of them, yes. But I love PE because it's something I'm actually better than Jason Gardiner at, and knowing there is one thing in this world that he's useless at and I'm not makes me really happy."

It was true - top of the class in almost all other subjects, Jason's downfall came in PE classes. He just hated sports, and made it blatantly obvious that he hated them. He constantly dropped the ball during cricket, jumped a mile if a football came anywhere near him, and couldn't hit the ball over the net in tennis to save his life. Always the last one to be picked for any teams, Jason was truly not a sports person, and Joachim couldn't help but feel a sense of superiority. Jason outshone him in every other aspect of life, so it was nice to have something he was better than that boy at... even if he wasn't that good at said something. 

"That's kinda mean.." Craig protested. 

"Oh, and Jason isn't?" Joachim shot back, finishing off his salad. "Seriously, Craig, you are way too nice." 

Craig hadn't told them about what had happened with him going to Jason's house, asking for help with the homework. Joachim, never one to miss a trick, had raised an eyebrow when Craig got all but three questions right on his maths homework, but Craig had brushed it off determinedly. He had plans to tell them all about it at some point - they were his closest friends after all and they were bound to find out - but not in the cafeteria, not where Jason or anyone else could overhear them. He was going to have to swear Motsi, Jonathan, Joachim, Bruno and Jorge to secrecy if he did tell them - there was no way he wanted this getting out, because then he would have to face Jason's wrath and that idea was most undesirable to him. 

"I just.. oh, never mind," Craig sighed, continuing to eat his lunch. "What do you reckon we will be doing in sports today?" 

"Football again, most likely," Motsi rolled her eyes, "because that's all we ever seem to do in those lessons. Well, football and those workout programmes that leave us all unable to walk the next day." 

"So another lesson of Jason frantically trying to dodge the ball and screaming at the top of his pathetic -" Joachim trailed off as Jason came over to them, looking very angry and just a little hurt. Joachim didn't notice the hurt in the older boy's eyes, rather focusing on looking at him coldly, but Craig did notice and he hoped that Jason was okay. He still wasn't convinced that there wasn't a deeper meaning behind Jason's behaviour- why would he behave this way?? 

"Got something to say about me, Llambi?" Jason snapped. When he was angry with someone or had a condescending attitude towards them, he very often called them by their surnames rather than their first name. "Because if you do, I'd rather you said it to my face."

"Yes actually!" Joachim fired back - he was about the only person in the entire school who wasn't afraid of answering Jason back. Everyone else didn't dare, avoided confrontation with him at all costs.. but Joachim wasn't scared. "I said that this will be another lesson of you dodging the ball and screaming every time it comes near you..." 

Jason stepped closer to Joachim, looking furious, but Craig could still detect the sadness and the hurt in his eyes. 

"First of all, shut the fuck up. Second of all, don't you dare criticise me for something you know nothing about. Third of all-" 

"Something I know nothing about? Oh, that sounds so dramatic. What happened then, Jason? Did somebody kick footballs at you so much you got scared of them..?" 

With that comment, Jason didn't finish his sentence, instead turning around and heading back to his table. 

"Joachim, that was not cool," Craig said, folding his arms and making sure to lower his voice so it was less obvious who he was speaking about. "I know you don't like him, but that wasn't okay. Something could really have happened to him.." 

"Yeah, sure," Joachim scoffed, before turning back to his lunch. "He's just so dramatic. I seriously don't get why you keep standing up for him, Craig." 

The rest of the meal was eaten in silence, before they all headed upstairs to get changed into their PE kits. Just as Craig was heading out of the bathroom, all dressed in his black shorts and white tshirt, he almost walked head first into Bruno Tonioli, one of his oldest and closest friends. Bruno was in different classes to Craig for almost all of his subjects, and he had recently been hanging out a lot with two Sicilian students who had only arrived at the school this September- Giovanni and Graziano. This meant that Craig had seen a lot less of his friend recently, but they still spent time together whenever it was possible to do so. 

"Ciao, amico mio. Grazie a dio è venerdi," Bruno exclaimed. 

"Bruno, do I look like Giovanni Pernice or Graziano Di Prima? I don't speak Italian," Craig rolled his eyes. "Excited for two hours down on the sports field?" 

"Oh, absolutely. Couldn't think of anything more exciting," Bruno said sarcastically, clutching the plastic bag that he carried his PE kit in. "I'll just go and get changed, and then I'll meet you outside, okay?" 

Craig nodded and waited in the corridor for Bruno, who emerged from the bathroom dressed for PE a few short moments later. After Bruno shoved his uniform back into his bag and left the bag in his classroom, they began to make their way down to the field together for their PE lesson. 

"How's your day been so far?" Bruno asked, as they made their way through the corridors and down the endless staircases. Craig remembered how when he had first come to the school as an eleven year old, he had wondered how he would ever find his way around this quite frankly vast building. It still seemed vast to him, but at least he didn't get lost on a daily basis anymore like he had done for the first few weeks. 

"All right. We had maths this morning and double business, but of course you know that already," Craig responded with a laugh. "I didn't understand much of the maths test that we did - I got a 2 - but business was all right. How was your day so far..?" 

"Maths was as boring as it always is. I got a 4, but only just. Business was decent," Bruno replied simply. "Let me guess - Jason got a 9?" 

"He got a 7 and looked extremely unhappy about it! I don't understand that boy - if I got higher than a 5 I would literally be so happy.." 

"Success is relative. And I have my sights set a lot higher than you have yours set," Jason suddenly came out of nowhere, glaring at the two boys before practically running past them. 

"Wow.. that was.." Bruno couldn't find the right words. 

"That was typical Jason Gardiner for you," Craig sighed, feeling rather hurt by his words but knowing that there likely was a reason that he behaved the way he did. "Now come on, let's get down to the field before our teacher starts having a go at us." 

.. 

PE went well. They all played football rounders, and Craig's team - consisting of him, Joachim, Jorge and some more of their classmates- won the game. Jason's team lost, and they couldn't hold back their grins as they saw Jason dodge the ball rather than kick it, and fail to reach first base. Joachim was one of those who laughed, and Craig nudged him sharply, mouthing "you'll make yourself out to be bad if you carry on!" 

After PE they all headed home for the weekend, and the second that Craig got home from school, he ran straight upstairs to his room to get ready to go over to the Gardiners in a couple of hours time. 

He shoved the books that he would need for their studying session into his school bag and his pencil case, taking everything else he didn't need out. Next, he checked his planner to ensure that they didn't have any other specific projects or deadlines, and felt extremely relieved to find the only other things he had to do that had a deadline and weren't revision, were three English essays due on Wednesday. He was planning to save the literature one for when he saw Jason later that evening, but after getting changed out of his uniform into a casual red tshirt with a skull pattern on the front and a pair of black jeans, he decides to start his English language essays to pass the almost two hours till they had to leave for the Gardiners. Taking his English book and a pen and sitting down on his bed, Craig began to quickly read over what he was being asked to do. 

Both of his essays were persuasive writing tasks, something he really enjoyed, so Craig flew through them. He had so many good ideas to add in, and by the time he had written and proofread the entire thing, it was almost time to head on over to Jason's. 

Checking one last time he had everything he needed for a studging session with Jason, he made his way downstairs, where his larger than life family were waiting for him. 

There was his older sister Sue, slumped in a chair reading, a seventeen year old writing fanatic studying English language and literature at a level. Then there were his two younger sisters, Melanie and Diane, sitting on the floor playing with their My Little Ponies currently. They were both several years younger than him - there was a small age gap between him and Sue, but then a bigger age gap between him, Melanie and Diane, and then his three year old brother, Trent. And then of course, there was the head of the household, his mother Beverley. 

Craig's dad left several years ago, had many issues that he needed to sort out in his life that he just couldn't sort out whilst still being married to Bev. They still saw him, but only occasionally, and they weren't that close to him anymore. 

"Right, are we all ready to go?" Bev asked, and everyone nodded their heads, following her out the door and to their car, which was practically a van. Craig sat up front as always, as he was the tallest person in his family, and inserted his earphones as he attempted to learn a new song for the next show he was going to be in at school. As well as being part of the drama club, Craig also sang with a group that was made very spontaneously at school a few months ago. He acted as lead singer, having a pretty decent singing voice, and just loved it. Their next performance was in just a few weeks, at an extravaganza, and the song they were singing together was I Will Survive, so he was trying to memorise the lyrics. He was absolutely loving the song so far though- and couldn't wait to perform it with the group. 

The Gardiner household was only a short drive away, and just as they were about to pull up outside, Bev pulled over and turned round to face her family. 

"All of you listen to me one moment please," she ordered, though not harshly. "I want you all on your best behaviour whilst we are with the Gardiners. I want you all to be polite and respectful, and use your manners- I want the Gardiners to think we are well brought up, nice people. Okay?"

The whole family nodded, and Bev approvingly got out of the car and opened all of the doors, allowing everyone to climb out. 

And as Craig walked up to the door, he crossed his fingers that everything would go miraculously well tonight.


	4. studying partners

"Welcome!" Jason's mum smiled, welcoming the entire Horwood family - Craig, his mum Bev, his sisters Sue, Melanie and Diane, and his brother Trent - into the Gardiner household a few hours later. "How lovely that you could all come!" 

Jason was standing there, behind his father, his arms folded. He was looking down at the floor rather sulkily, not taking the slightest bit of interest in the fact that the Horwoods had just arrived. 

"Jason, welcome your guests," Keith, Jason's father, said sternly. 

"Welcome!" Jason flashed Craig a warm smile, but Craig guessed that it was only fake so as not to have his parents lecture him about showing some respect. "Did you bring the books I told you to bring?" 

"Yep," Craig replied pleasantly - they had decided to do English literature and maybe science together this evening, as that was what they most needed to get done, so he had brought the appropriate books. 

"Come on then, let's go upstairs to my room. Call us when dinner is ready, Mum," Jason said still with that smile on his face, and led his fellow Australian upstairs to his bedroom, which was very warm and cosy, perfect against the cold weather outside. 

As soon as the door was shut, however, the smile was wiped off his face and he glared at Craig the same way he always did. 

"Don't go around thinking I'm happy about this new arrangement," he snapped. "Because I'm really not. Now sit down and let's get on with this work." 

Craig pulled up a chair beside Jason and got his English book out. For homework this weekend they were supposed to write an essay on the book Great Expectations, which in Craig's opinion was possibly one of the most boring books that their teacher/exam board could ever have chosen for them to study. He knew it was classic literature, and that Dickens was one of the most respected writers.. but he found the book to be so long-winded, boring and wordy. 

Jason reached into his pencil pot, handed him a pen and then said in a firm tone, "get on with it then." 

Not wanting to annoy him, as that would be disastrous, that was what Craig did. 

The two of them worked in silence for fifteen minutes. Craig found himself looking over at Jason's paper several times, not to copy, but rather to see how much he was writing. In the time it took him to write one page, Jason had written four and a half pages on the character of Miss Havisham and started off on his business homework, and his handwriting was way smaller than mine. 

"Quit copying my work, you'll never learn anything that way," snapped Jason, seeing that Craig had gone back to looking at him. 

"I'm not copying you, I was just seeing how much you'd written," Craig said, turning red automatically. "Anyway, I can't read your handwriting from where I'm sitting; it's really small." 

To Craig's surprise, Jason actually laughed. "Yeah, the teacher constantly moans at me about that! She's like Jason Gardiner, you're a fantastic English student, but if you don't learn to write bigger examiners will mark you down because they can't read what you say!" 

"I like it, it's really neat," Craig complimented. 

"Thanks, Craig," Jason said, smiling, and Craig noticed how much nicer and more attractive he looked when he was smiling; his smile lit up his whole face and made him look so friendly and charming. "Yours is nice too." 

Craig smiled at the unexpected praise and thanked the younger boy. 

"Well, keep going," Jason said, reverting back to his usual self. "You need to write at least three pages, remember? It's a 30 mark question." 

"I can't write any more," Craig said, laying the pen down, feeling discouraged and lacking in confidence all of a sudden. "What's the point in me writing an essay on something I don't even understand properly? I got 12/30 on our last Great Expectations essay. I'm really thick." 

Craig was fully expecting Jason to laugh at him and call him stupid, especially as he knew Jason had got 26/30 on the same assignment. But instead, he actually reached over and placed his arm round him, which shocked him to the core. Jason was not a touchy feely person, and he was never as gentle as this with anyone. 

"You are not thick," he told him, looking him deep in the eyes. "Getting a low grade on a writing paper is not being thick. It's just called, 'I haven't quite grasped this concept yet. I need to work harder so that I do grasp it'. So get on with the paper." 

Craig sighed and picked up his pen once again. After watching him stare blankly at the paper for five minutes straight, Jason finally snapped, "Oh, for God's sake, give me your book and I'll tell you what you need to write about." 

Craig hesitated, thinking about all the things that Jason could say about it. 

"Craig, in the short time you've been here, I'm not sure you've caught on. So I'll make it clear. If I tell you to do something, you fucking well do it," Jason said extremely firmly. "So, give me your book right now." 

"Fine, and then feel free to come and call me thick," Craig snapped, realizing only afterwards that maybe that wasn't the best way to handle things, and handed Jason his book. As Craig sat down on the bed, Jason read through the two pages he had written, then turned to him. 

"Come here," he said, in a low voice. 

Craig walked over reluctantly, expecting to get whacked with the book and called thick, or something like that. But he hadn't expected what came next. 

"Look at me," Jason said, in a firmer tone of voice. 

Craig reluctantly fixed his gaze on him, waiting for the insults, the laughter, as he had so often received from Jason before. 

"You aren't thick, so never call yourself that again," Jason told him. "What you've written here is brilliant. Just fix your grammar in certain places and maybe add a couple more points about Miss Havisham's relationship with other characters and it'll be great. Just so you know, Craig, grammatical errors really annoy me." 

Craig stared at him in amazement, before stuttering out a quick thank you, having not expected him to say that. After all.. wasn't Jason the guy who always called him thick and said he wasn't going to amount to anything in life? 

"Jason?" Craig asked, a few moments later, after he had sat back down and added in the points that Jason had suggested. 

"Yes?" Jason looked up from his business studies homework, his pen poised in mid-air. 

"Why do you constantly call me thick at school? And why are you always so horrible to me?" Craig asked tentatively, hoping that Jason wouldn't shout at him. 

But instead of shouting or saying something rude or sarcastic, Jason froze suddenly. 

"It's okay, I won't tell anyone," Craig said, quietly. "I know there's something that happened to you, and.." 

"Nothing fucking happened to me! I'm horrible to you because you're an easy target, and that's all there is to it!" Jason yelled, and Craig jumped, before whispering "sorry" and walking over to the other side of the room, trying hard not to cry. He had thought that things were going so well, and now he had ruined it all again. 

What felt like a few minutes later, Craig felt a hand on his shoulder. Looking up through teary eyes, he saw Jason there, struggling to form the words he wanted to say. 

Finally, a couple of minutes silence later, he said softly, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to come across that harsh. It's just.. there's a lot you don't know about me, Craig." 

At that moment, just as Craig was thinking of how to reply, they heard Jason's mother, Pamela, call them for dinner. Heading downstairs, Jason led Craig through to the Gardiner dining room, where both their families were sitting round the table. Sitting down next to Jason, who smiled at him and gave him a look begging him to not say anything about his little outburst just now, Craig smiled to see that Pamela had made chicken parmigiana with caesar salad, one of his personal favourite dishes. 

"This is one of my favourite meals as well," Jason nodded at Craig. "It would definitely be my last meal on earth. Along with avocado toast or pavlova." 

Craig grinned back at him. "I love all those things!" 

"How did you two get on with your studying?" Pamela asked, as everyone picked up their knives and forks and began to tuck into their dinner. 

"Great, thank you," Craig smiled. 

"Good, yeah," said Jason casually, pouring himself a glass of water from the jug that had been put on the table. "We did our English essay, and I finished mine before Craig so I did some business studies homework." 

"Glad to hear you're working hard," Keith nodded approvingly at the two boys. 

"So, boys, Craig's mum and I have been chatting, and we've decided that we're going to eat together twice a week," explained Pamela. 

"We'll be eating here twice a week, and then the Scott's will be coming to our house twice a week as well," Bev added, cutting up her chicken parmigiana before leaning over and helping Trent cut up his food. "So boys, what do you think?" 

"Sounds good," Jason smiled, though he rolled his eyes secretly at Craig. "We can be studying partners. Sounds good, doesn't it, Craig?" 

Craig nodded. He was actually quite looking forward to it - though Jason was unpredictable and could be really nasty at times, he was a great person to revise with. He was extremely productive and knew exactly how to revise effectively to get the top grades, and he thought of all these wonderful points that nobody else in the class ever would have begun to think of. "Studying partners. Yeahhhh.. Sounds good."

"Well, I think it's lovely that you'll be there to study with our Craig this year, Jason, because he does find studying a bit difficult at times!" said Bev, making Craig go red, though he still nodded and smiled along. 

"We love how Craig seems to take his studying seriously!" Pamela said, smiling. "Jason is always up there in his bedroom, studying and trying to become a better person than he was yesterday, and we're just so proud of him." 

"Oh, Craig's a really hard worker as well," Bev replied. "I always tell him that as long as he keeps up the hard work, he will succeed." 

"Huh. Tell that to Craig's maths and science grades," Jason muttered under his breath, before realising that his parents had overheard what he said. 

"Jason, come outside with me. Right. Now," Keith said sternly, and Jason sighed, getting up from his chair and following his dad out of the room. 

A few seconds later, Craig heard Keith lay into his older son. 

"Jason! What the actual hell was all that about? How dare you make comments about somebody's intelligence like that?!" Keith shouted. 

"You can't say it's not true," Jason shrugged his shoulders insolently. "I wouldn't say getting 4 out of 40 in a maths test is exactly an achievement to be proud of." 

"Well, maybe it isn't for you, but for some people it is. Now, just cut it out, Jason.." 

"But Dad..." 

"Jason, quit it! Now stop arguing with me, go back in the dining room, eat your food, and stop embarassing us in front of the Horwood family!" Keith shouted, it sounding like he had just slammed his hand on a table or something, and everyone was shocked at his outburst, all except Jamie, who burst out laughing.

"And you can stop laughing right now, Jamie. It's not funny," Keith snapped as they walked back in, and Jason's younger brother's laughter immediately stopped, turning serious once again. 

"Sorry, everyone," Jason said, looking extremely ashamed of himself. "And sorry, Craig. An achievement for you isn't necessarily what I would call an achievement for myself, but I guess its wrong for me to judge you." 

"No I guess about it. It is wrong for you to judge him. Jason, when we adopted you all those years ago, we planned to bring you up to be nice to people and help those who aren't as fortunate as yourself," said his father, more gently, but still sternly. "And that's what we try to do. Just because you have a good brain and find work easy doesn't mean everyone else does." 

"I know, Dad, and I'm sorry," Jason replied, looking down at his food. 

"Thank you," said Jason's dad. "Now, get on with your dinner, and don't let me hear you insulting Craig, or anyone else for that matter, again." 

Jason spent the rest of the mealtime quiet, eating his chicken parmigiana in silence, obviously embarrassed that his dad had told him off in front of Craig's family. 

And as he and Craig headed upstairs again after dinner, to finish off their homework together, he whispered to the older boy "I told you my dad is big on respect." 

Craig nodded his head and let out a little laugh. "I can see that." 

As they sat there for the rest of the evening, working on their business studies and Spanish homework, Jason didn't say another bad word about Craig. He didn't say very much at all.. just brief comments every now and again.. but he didn't insult Craig or anyone else for the duration of the time that Craig was there. 

After Craig and his family left later that evening, Jason went round to the shed, got out his bike, and was just preparing to leave on it when he was stopped by his dad. 

"Where exactly are you going?" 

"Just off to see Ashley," replied Jason with an eye roll, "I promised him that I'd go and see him after the Horwoods left." 

"Well, I'm not sure if I should let you go, after you showed us up in front of the Horwood family this evening," Keith said coldly. 

"Dad, look, I'm sorry, okay? It just came out. Craig's not actually that bad.. most of the time he's a great student, actually. He's not the cleverest person in our class.." 

"Jason!" 

"But he's very hard working and just needs some more belief in himself," Jason quickly finished, sighing. "Look, please can I go see Ashley? We always go for a bike ride together in the evenings.. he'll be waiting for me." 

It was their little tradition to go for a bike ride each evening before bed, and Jason's way of letting off steam now that he had to do so much revision constantly. 

"Okay. You can go. But I'm warning you, Jason, when we go over to the Horwoods, if I hear anything like that again..." 

"You won't. Thanks, Dad," Jason said hastily, and with that he sped off on his bike before his dad could change his mind, the wind ripping through his hair, longing to rant to Ashley about everything that had happened that night.


	5. a chance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the longest chapter yet 😂😂 3,900 words. Enjoy!!!

A few minutes later, Ashley and Jason were cycling through the park Jason lived near to, enjoying the feeling of the cool breeze on their faces as they did so. Not being at the same school as his best friend since primary school was very hard for Jason and so he was grateful that they could still hang out together outside of school, even if they saw each other less now that they were both in year eleven. 

Ashley and Jason had known each other since the first day of primary school. Sat next to each other by their teacher in their "buddy system", the two young boys had soon become best friends, and their families had also become very close. In many ways, the two were like chalk and cheese - Ashley was extremely confident, outgoing and didn't care what anyone thought of him, whilst Jason was the absolute opposite; Ashley wasn't the most academic person out there and couldn't wait to get out of school, whilst Jason took his education extremely seriously; Ashley had a whole bunch of friends, whilst Jason's only true friend was Ashley. But their unlikely friendship had lasted eleven years, and all these years later, they were as close as ever. And though Jason was gutted that Ashley's parents hadn't liked the school enough to send him there, they didn't let it affect their friendship. 

"So, tell me, how was your dinner with the Horwoods?" Ashley questioned, attempting a cool trick on his bike.

"Not great," Jason sighed. "Dad went absolutely mental at me for saying something rude, and Mum and Dad say that we've got to have dinner with them twice a week now." 

"What on earth did you say this time? And the problem is?" 

"I basically said that he's shit at maths and science. Which isn't exactly a lie. But maybe I shouldnt have said it. And the problem, Ashley, is that I've got to spend the forseeable future hanging around someone I don't even like," Jason replied, with a furious look on his face. "So don't blame me for not being too happy right now.." 

"Jason, seriously? And what don't you like about him..?" Ashley was confused. 

"There's nothing specific. I just don't like him, and don't want to associate myself with someone like him," Jason replied, firmly, as if the subject was closed. 

"Jason..." 

"What? I just don't like him. I'm sure there's a lot of people you don't like but have no reason to dislike.." 

"Yeah, you're right," replied Ashley, nodding, "however... Jason.. I may not be a genius like you, but I'm not stupid. I know why you're acting so nasty to him, and why you don't want to associate yourself with him." 

"Oh yeah, and why's that?" Jason snapped, though he knew full well what Ashley was referring to. 

"You know what I mean, Jase. I'm not stupid. And I honestly get why you feel the way you do about making new friends, I really do, but I really think you should give this Craig a chance. You never know... he could be a really good friend." 

"I can't.." Jason whispered, suddenly looking very vulnerable, like he had done earlier that night with Craig.

"Yes, you can," Ashley told him firmly. 

"Ashley, I can't. You don't get it. Those two years were the.. the worst of my life and I can't go back to feeling that way again," Jason insisted, his eyes stupidly filling with tears. He blinked them back furiously - he hated it when anyone saw him cry, even someone he was as close to as Ashley. Crying was something he had done way too much of back then, and it was something he didn't want to do anymore... at least not in front of people. 

"Jase, mate, I know it still affects you, but what happened is in the past. Not everyone is as shit as they were. I really think you should give Craig a chance.. he might turn out to be one of your best friends." 

"I highly doubt it," Jason snorted, and Ashley sighed at his obstinacy. He loved his friend dearly but sometimes, he did despair at how much he refused to change his mind on certain things, such as friendships. "I mean.. he wouldn't like me. We have nothing in common. Plus, his friends hate me. Just earlier today, I confronted his friend Llambi in the lunch hall because he was chatting shit about me." 

"And..? Jase, you literally never hang out with Perri, who's one of my closest friends.. but that doesn't affect our friendship now, does it?" 

"The situation is entirely different. I don't hang out with Perri because he and I don't really see eye to eye on anything or have anything in common. Craig's little friends hate me. Like literally, hate me." 

"Jase, I'm sorry, but the reason they dislike you is probably because you're not very nice to them. Confronting people in the lunch hall.. making fun of people constantly... I'm sorry but that doesn't make you very likeable. And that's probably why his friends don't like you all that much." 

"Can we just change the subject, please?" Jason said a little too harshly, and Ashley immediately agreed, though he wished that his friend would see things differently. 

"Sure! I've got a surprise for you on Wednesday," teased Ashley. 

"And just what might that be? Is it an early birthday present?" Jason asked, suddenly sounding very excited indeed. It was his birthday on 6th November, and Ashley was well known for always surprising him more and more each year. Last year, he had literally arranged an entire surprise party that everyone except Jason had been in on, and Jason wondered what on earth he was going to do this year. 

"It might just be," replied Ashley mysteriously, "but I'm telling you nothing more right now. I can't wait to see your face!" 

"Okay, I'm really intrigued now," Jason laughed. "Can't you just tell me?" 

"Would it be a surprise then, though? You're just going to have to wait until the day. I promise you, you're going to love it." 

"I'm sure I will. I've always loved all your surprises," Jason replied, with a nod. "Now, I hate to say it, but we need to get home and I have a feeling my dad won't be happy if I walk in too late, considering as it was a struggle to convince him to let me come." 

"Fair enough," Ashley got back onto his bike. "I'm meant to be going out tomorrow to Jordan's afternoon dance show, so my mum will want me home." 

Jordan was Ashley's older brother, who was very similar to him both in looks and personality. The both of them danced, and when they left high school next summer, their plans were to create a dance group with some of their closest friends. 

"Good luck to him. When's your next dance show, Ash? I'll definitely be coming along." 

"I'll find out the dates for the Christmas show I'm doing," promised Ashley, as the two of them set off on their bikes again. "It'd be lovely to have you in the audience." 

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," Jason replied, swerving around a rock that definitely would have sent him flying off his bike. "You know that." 

.. 

Craig wanted to tell his friends about everything that had happened with Jason, but on Saturday and Sunday he simply didn't get the chance, and on Monday they literally had no time to themselves. He didn't dare talk about it in school anyway, just in case Jason overheard. It wasn't until Monday that they finally found out about it, Monday night to be exact.

As they were sitting in a very boring science lesson that only Jason and Jonathan seemed to actually be enjoying, Craig felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. They were allowed their phones out at break times and lunchtimes, but in class, phones were strictly forbidden. Most people didn't pay attention to this rule though, texting their friends discreetly whilst the teacher was suitably distracted, and Craig now chanced a look down at his own phone to see who had texted him. It was a message from Joachim who was sitting just a few rows behind him, next to Jorge. 

Joachim 🕺: this class is so boring, SOS 😂

Craig 🎤: I just don't get how knowing what covalent bonds are is going to help me in life?! 

Jorge 👠: I want to be a fashion designer, I don't need to know what a covalent bond is!! I swear your boyfriend is about the only person in here enjoying this 😂

Joachim 🕺: Craig, seriously, I love Jonathan but he is really weird sometimes 😂

Craig 🎤: I don't understand his love for science and maths either. Could never be me 😂

Jorge 👠: mood 😂

Joachim 🕺 I was wondering though Craig, would you like to join Jorge, Motsi and I for a game of bowling tonight..? To let off some steam after revising..? Motsi's already in... 

Craig 🎤: I'd love to come! I'm sure Mum will be fine with it, as long as I get some revision done first. What time are you thinking of going..? 

Joachim 🕺: around six? We could go bowling, have dinner at McDonalds or something and then go home early enough so we won't be tired tomorrow... 

Jorge 👠: sounds good to me !! 

Craig 🎤: me too :) 

"Jorge!" 

Realising that the teacher was looking in their direction, the three boys quickly shoved their phones under their tables, and pretended to be greatly interested in the topic that they were learning. 

"Uh.. yes, Sir?" 

"What is an example of a covalent bond..?" their science teacher asked, and Jorge panicked as he realised that he honestly had no idea what the lesson was about. 

"Uh.. I have no idea, Sir." 

"I didn't think you did. Maybe if you spent more time writing notes and less time texting your friends, then you would know the answer. Put your phone away right now and pay more attention, please" said their teacher in a dry tone, and Jorge flushed, before hastily beginning to copy out some notes that had been written on the whiteboard. 

It seemed like an eternity before the lesson was over, but it did come to an end finally and as soon as they were allowed to leave, the friends practically ran out the building. 

"Six by the fountains, yeah?" Jorge questioned, referring to their usual meeting place, as they began to make their way home. "My lord, I'm glad that's over." 

"Sounds good," nodded Joachim, swinging his bag further onto his back. "I'll be there." 

"6pm by the bowling alley. Got it," Craig grinned, before saying goodbye and heading in the opposite direction to his friends, planning to get that geography homework done and maybe try and tackle some English revision before he met up with them tonight. 

.. 

"I'm just going to warn you guys now, I'm absolutely terrible at bowling," Jorge explained rather sheepishly, as he, Joachim, Craig and Motsi entered the bowling alley later that day. They had all managed to get some revision done, and now their parents had allowed them to go out, under the condition that they got home before 9.30. 

"You can't be much worse than me," Craig laughed, as he put on the special bowling shoes that they were all being made to wear. "Jonno is actually amazing at bowling though, and sometimes he helps me when we go bowling together. Shame he couldn't come out tonight." Jonathan had been feeling unwell since he had arrived home, so had decided not to come out with them, though he had wanted to badly. 

"How is Jonathan?" Motsi asked, lacing up her shoes. 

"He's fine, just feels a bit sick. He's going to have a quiet night in doing sudoku puzzles," Craig rolled his eyes. 

"Sudoku puzzles?" Motsi snorted. "That would make me feel even sicker!" 

"That's what I said!" Craig laughed. "Anyway, Jorge, I'm sure you can't be that bad." 

"We'll see about that," Jorge chuckled.

But, as it transpired, Jorge really was terrible. His aim was atrocious and the most pins he knocked down in a go throughout the entire game was maybe three or four. He kept getting gutter balls, but luckily he just saw it as a bit of fun and laughed along with the others about how terrible he was. 

Craig wasn't as bad as everyone expected him to be after his statement - he was better than Jorge, and about the same level as Motsi, but Joachim outshone them all. His aim was the best of all of them, and in ten turns he got five strikes and the lowest number of pins he knocked down in a single go was six. 

"You're amazing at this," Motsi said wistfully. 

"I used to spend way too much time at the bowling alley a couple years ago!" Joachim laughed, as he bowled his final ball of the game and knocked down eight pins. "You were amazing too." 

"Thanks, Joachim!" laughed Jorge. 

"I wasn't talking to you, I was actually talking to Motsi," laughed Joachim, as he sat down and took a sip of the fizzy drink he had ordered. "But good try, Jorge. How about another round, guys?"

"Well you would say that, wouldn't you, Joachim, seeing as you won!" Jorge joked. "I'm up for it, if the others are."

"I'm up for it," Motsi smiled, and Craig nodded as well in agreement. 

"Then I'll go pay for another round," said Joachim, and walked off to the counter. A few moments later, the German-Spaniard came walking back, smiling, and the others looked up at the board to see that it had reset itself ready for a new game. 

"Another round paid for, and I can't wait to beat you all again," he laughed. 

As they all got ready to play the next round, two energetic boys - one tall and thin, one slightly shorter - came into the alleys, taking their places at the other end from Joachim, Jorge, Motsi and Craig. Craig looked over and thought that he recognised one of the boys, but the boy in question was wearing a hoodie, so he couldn't really tell if he did know him. 

It was only, during one of Joachim's goes, that Craig happened to look over at that lane once again and saw the smaller of the two guys taking his turn to bowl. His aim was incredible, even better than Joachim's. It was spot on, and he knocked down all ten pins with just one neat flick of his wrist. 

"Yes, Jason! That's your fourth strike of the game!" the other boy shouted, and the boy who had bowled jumped high in the air to celebrate his victory. 

Jason?! 

As soon as he heard that name, Craig looked closer at the boy who had just got a strike, and realised that it was Jason. Jason Gardiner. Despite a closer look, Craig still didn't recognise the boy that was with him, but then remembered how Jason had mentioned a boy named Ashley to him a couple of times before. 

"Come on, Ash! You've got this!" Jason shouted, sounding happier than he ever did at school, and that was Craig's suspicions confirmed. 

"Craig, it's your turn," Joachim, who didn't appear to have heard the name Jason being shouted, called, and Craig immediately snapped out of his little trance and went to take his bowl, managing to knock down seven pins, a record for him. He just hoped that Joachim didn't catch onto this.. and that he didn't see them under any circumstances.. because otherwise it would be disastrous, and the evening would be ruined through the usual bad mood Joachim was put in every single time he had to be near Jason.

"Craig, are you okay?" Jorge asked suddenly, and Craig realised he had been dreaming again. Deciding he could confide in Jorge, who seemed to hate Jason a lot less than Joachim did, he whispered, "don't go telling Joachim or making any signs that you've realised.. but Jason and his friend are over there." 

Jorge looked closer, and in that moment, Jason also looked over in their direction. Realising who it was, he froze visibly, and sighed. 

"I think he's just recognised me," Jorge said, before running over and taking his bowl, somehow managing to get all ten pins knocked down. "Yeah, baby, yeah! Guys, are you proud of me?" 

"Ash... we need to leave," Jason muttered to his friend. "Like.. now." 

"Why? We're not even halfway through our two games yet," Ashley looked confused - clearly, he wasn't aware of who else was in the building. 

"Look over there..." Jason replied, gesturing with his eyes. 

"Wait... isn't that Joachim?" Ashley asked, being way more obvious about it than Jason would have liked. "Which one's Craig then?" 

"The one with black hair.." 

"There are two boys with black hair, Jason... which one?" 

"Oh, for goodness sake! The tallest one.. the one with short black hair." 

"So this is the boy you think you have nothing in common with?" Ashley snorted - he hated to make fun of his friend and knew why he was like this, but he found this whole situation slightly ludicrous all the same. "I'm sorry, Jase, but just take a minute and look at him. He's literally a dancer.." he spoke as Craig performed a series of chaine turns after taking his turn, "and if I heard correctly a few moments ago, I heard him singing a song from Cats. That's literally your favourite musical. Two things you have in common- no, three actually, because you both seem to love singing!" 

"Ash! Literally nobody knows that I sing or that I dance! And nobody knows I like musicals either. Well.. apart from my family, and you obviously." 

"Look.. Jase, I get it, I really do. But I really think that you need to stop living in the past." Ashley said simply, before resuming the game. "And look.. they'll be finished way before us. Just continue the game.. please?" 

Jason sighed. "Okay. But if they come over, you're doing the talking. Not me." 

Ashley nodded with a small sigh and they resumed their game. He turned out to be right - when they were just halfway through their second game, Joachim, Jorge, Motsi and Craig took a selfie by the lane, before leaving the alleys and heading in search of food. 

"See what I told you?" Ashley said to Jason, who breathed a sigh of relief. "Now come on, try and get a strike again!" 

..

"Well, where do you want to go to eat?" Joachim asked as they walked into the cool night. Fortunately, he hadn't cottoned on to the fact that Jason and Ashley were there, which was a great relief. 

"Anywhere other than KFC, I despise it," Craig laughed. "I once got food poisoning from there, don't know if I've ever told you..?" 

"I actually didn't know that," Joachim replied, as they got onto the escalators. "Okay then, my friend, we'll forget about KFC. How about McDonald's?" 

The gang nodded their approval, so that was where they headed, and a few moments later, they were tucking into their food. 

"You guys, I was wondering," Jorge began, as they ate, "whether you'd like to come over to my house next Friday night. We could have a movie marathon together for Halloween, seeing as I know none of us do much else." 

"I'd love to, but I have a feeling my mum's going to make me go to this Halloween party with Jonno and my siblings," Craig sighed. "Thanks for the invite though." 

"No worries, Craig," Jorge replied. "Joachim, Motsi, how about you guys?" 

"Sounds great!" Motsi grinned. "Oti and Phemelo are going trick or treating with Mum, but I'm sure she won't mind me coming over to yours." Oti and Phemelo were her sisters, several years younger than her. 

"I'm in as well! I have no siblings to worry about, and my family never do anything, so I'm definitely down for that," Joachim chimed in, as he took another bite out of his burger. 

"Sometimes I wish I was an only child," Craig snorted, nibbling a chip. "Or had much older siblings that lived away from home, like you Jorge." Jorge was the only child at home, but he had a 24 year old brother named Pablo who lived in Cuba, where he was originally from. 

"It does have its benefits, I guess.. but sometimes it can get really lonely," laughed Joachim, "in fact, I'd love to have a house where - Wait a minute! Is that Jason Gardiner?" 

No way.. They couldn't have done.. 

Craig turned round and to his horror saw that Jason and Ashley had only gone and come to the same place as them for food. 

Joachim glared at them both, absolutely furious, whilst Motsi and Jorge looked as though they would rather be anywhere else other than there. 

It was Joachim that spoke first, snapping, "What are you doing here?" knowing that he sounded really rude but not about to stop himself. 

"Joachim.." Jorge sighed. 

"We've come to ride unicycles naked whilst playing the harmonica," said Jason with obvious sarcasm. "I would have thought it was obvious that we're here to get food, like you obviously are, Llambi." 

"So, Jase, the one with the short black hair is Craig?" Ashley confirmed, despite the Australian glaring at him. "Craig, hi! I'm Ashley.. Jason may have mentioned me when you've been over at his.. " 

"Thanks a lot, Ashley," hissed Jason, as Joachim, Jorge and Motsi all turned to look at Craig at the reveal of this new information. 

"Wait.. when have you been over at his..?" 

"A couple weeks ago, Craig came over to mine and I helped him with some maths homework. We now are going to be spending two nights a week together studying, thanks to our families wanting to get to know each other, if you really want to know, Llambi." 

"I actually don't believe this!" Joachim basically shouted. 

"Well, get over it, Llambi, because it's happening," retorted Jason. "It doesn't matter how much you hate the situation or hate me.. it's happening. Come on, Ash." 

And with that, he and Ashley walked away to a table the other side of the room leaving Joachim, Jorge and Motsi staring at Craig, wondering how the hell this had come to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any guesses as to why Joachim dislikes Jason so much? 😂
> 
> Funnily enough, this chapter from the entrance to the bowling alley also appeared in the original story, when it was called locker Romances, however this chapter was like chapter 48 or something, and broken up into three parts because I used to write really short chapters (like 600 words) back then. Could never be me these days 😂 
> 
> Also, Ashley will be a quite central character in this story. 
> 
> Stay tuned, stay safe and stay happy, and as I said on TLG earlier, look after yourselves and make sure to prioritise your mental health! Love to you all and I'm always here for all of you 😍


	6. real friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so... I have no idea what Jorge's dog is called, so I made up the name Paco. But what I do know is that the dog is absolutely ADORABLE 😭
> 
> Also, Shirley is referred to in this chapter as Shirley Rich. For those of you that don't know.. Rich is her maiden name. Seeing as she's only meant to be fifteen in this, that's why I've referred to her as Rich and not Ballas. 
> 
> Longest chapter yet, enjoy!! 
> 
> Also trigger warning: mentions of homophobia and being outed

"Right, listen up everyone! We have a new student joining our class today," announced the teacher, causing everyone to sit up and look surprised. It was very rare that someone changed schools so late in their education, and especially when a term had already started almost two months ago. 

"I wonder who it will be?" Joachim asked Jorge, who shrugged. "Surely this is a bit late in the year to be transferring schools?" 

They looked over at Motsi and Craig, who shrugged as well. After their run-in with Jason and Ashley at the bowling alley two nights ago, Joachim hadn't stayed mad with Craig, and had forgiven him for not saying anything about having dinner and studying with Jason after Craig told him that he was planning on telling them but just didn't have the time. He wasn't exactly thrilled at the idea, but he guessed he could tolerate it.. if Craig didn't constantly go on about Jason. 

"Come on in, Ashley," the teacher instructed, and to Craig, Jorge and Motsi's surprise, Joachim's annoyance and Jason's utter shock, in walked Ashley Banjo, Jason's best friend, dressed in the school uniform and looking confident and radiant. "Now, how about you introduce yourself to everyone?" 

This would normally have sent people into utter panic, but Ashley didn't seem to be fazed at all as he nodded and announced to the room at large, "hi guys, my name's Ashley Banjo. I'm almost sixteen, and I love dancing-" (a few people snorted when he said that, some of the people who didn't believe boys should dance) "more than anything in the world." 

"Well, Ashley, you'll find that our school holds dance classes, if you'd like to attend," the teacher smiled at his confidence. "Now, do you know anyone in this room?" 

"Yeah, Jason here and I are actually best friends," Ashley chuckled, grinning at Jason, who was looking at him in utter shock. "We've known each other for years." 

Everyone looked at Jason with interest, and he simply nodded and smiled. 

"Well, you're in luck, Ashley, because there's a spare seat beside Jason," the teacher smiled. "Why don't you go and sit down?" 

"Thanks, Miss," Ashley nodded, before going over to his friend and sitting down, hissing in his ear "see? I told you I had a surprise for you on Wednesday." 

"This was not what I expected!" Jason laughed, still shocked. "You can explain all of this to me later, when we're out of classes." 

Ashley nodded and sat back in his chair, grinning to himself. 

The first two hours of the day were dedicated to physics, a subject that Jason adored but most other people, including Ashley, despised. They were learning about terminal velocity, and whilst Ashley seemingly enjoyed copying the diagram of an aeroplane off the board, actually answering questions on the topic was something he seemed to have no interest in whatsoever. Every time the teacher came round, he acted like he was working very hard, but as soon as she went away he lost all motivation. Jason found himself becoming quite irritated - even though Ashley was his best friend his attitude towards school was sometimes extremely annoying. 

Everyone was relieved when they could finally go outside in the playground for some air - it had been raining this morning but now there was faint sun and it looked a lot brighter. Whilst Joachim, Jorge and Motsi made their way towards their usual corner accompanied by Craig and Jonathan, and Bruno, Giovanni and Graziano went off to practice this Italian song that they were apparently doing at the Christmas concert, Ashley and Jason went to a deserted corner to catch up. 

"So, Ash.. what on earth brings you here..?" Jason burst out laughing, still unable to believe that Ashley was actually a student at his school now. 

"In basic terms, my mum wasn't happy with the other school. She said the education wasn't good enough and she wanted me to go somewhere better." 

"But how did you get her to bring you here? She didn't like it when she first looked around.." 

"I begged her to let me come here. I told her I'd work hard and everything, and she wasn't so sure at first, but she said she would look into it. And now here I am," laughed Ashley, throwing his hands into the air. 

"Well, you kept that promise a long time," Jason rolled his eyes. 

"Jason, physics is boring! Can you really blame me?" 

"Physics is not boring," Jason replied, firmly. "Now, come on. I'll show you round the school."   
And with that, he pulled his friend by the arm and led him round the school, showing him where everything was, so glad that his friend was now at the same school as him. 

.. 

Having hauled the two mattresses into the places he wanted them to be, Jorge finally sat down on his bed and sighed deeply. It was 5.45pm, just fifteen minutes before Joachim and Motsi were due to arrive at his place, and he was really excited for the Halloween movie marathon that they were going to have. The TV was working, he had snacks and drinks all waiting in the fridge plus he knew exactly what to make for dinner, and now all he had to do was change into his pyjamas and wait for his friends to arrive. 

Jonathan and Craig were going to a Halloween party together, along with Craig's family, because Craig's younger siblings wanted to attend and Bev had asked Craig and his boyfriend to go along too. Bruno was hanging out with Giovanni and Graziano, leaving Joachim, Jorge and Motsi to spend the night together. 

Quickly changing into his red pyjamas, Jorge sat down to watch from the window for his friends. The window seat allowed him to look out the window at the street on which he lived and allow him to see when people arrived at his house. Currently he could see several children walking up and down the street, baskets or bags in hands, trick or treating, dressed as all sorts of Halloween characters from the Phantom of the Opera to Coraline. Jorge knew that right about now people would start knocking on the Gonzalez family house door, and that his mother would be lovely as always and go and give the excited children some sweets, but that his dad would complain about this stupid holiday that was utter nonsense and that the doorbell ringing every two seconds ruined his precious TV time. 

Finally, at around 3 minutes past 6, Jorge saw his two best friends walking up to the door. Flinging himself off the window seat, he ran down the stairs as fast as he could without tumbling down the whole flight and opened the door to Joachim and Motsi. 

"Trick or treat!" they chorused. 

"Oh, you two," Jorge rolled his eyes before laughing loudly. "Come on in! Everything's all set up in my room." 

Joachim and Motsi followed their friend through the house, and into the living room where they said hi to Mr and Mrs Gonzalez (or Alejandro and Silvana as they called them these days) and had a short conversation with them. After telling them that they were indeed fine and that they promised not to talk too loudly late at night, the trio ventured up the stairs to Jorge's bedroom. The room was so Jorge it was unbelievable, with random headpieces hung in random places, the walls painted bright yellow, and a feather boa draped over the head of his bed. 

"So, what are the plans?" Motsi asked, as she put her bag down in the corner and flung herself onto the mattress that Jorge had laid out for her. 

"And most importantly, what's for dinner?" Joachim questioned. 

"Of course you'd ask me that, Joachim," laughed Jorge, retying his long hair on top of his head. "For dinner we've got vegetarian shepherds pie (Jorge wasn't vegetarian, but loved to eat vegetarian food sometimes) "and believe me, you won't notice the difference! And then we've got ice cream and Halloween cupcakes! I made those last night and the cupcakes I promise you taste amazing.. I had two myself, and my mum and dad had one each and told me they were delicious.." 

"Sounds perfect," Motsi grinned, pulling her pyjamas out of her bag and laying them out on her bed. "And I can't wait to try the cupcakes! Now, another important question, what's the first movie we're going to watch?" 

"Look through Netflix. I'm just going to go to the bathroom," Jorge excused himself, and Motsi and Joachim passed the time waiting for him to come back by reading synopses of all the different horror movies and deciding on which one to watch first. By the time the Cuban had arrived back in the room, with three buckets of popcorn and drinks- lemonade for him, coke for Motsi and just water for Joachim- they had chosen a movie called Orphan. 

"I've heard that this one is very disturbing," Jorge commented, as he settled back on his bed with his bucket of popcorn. "You two go and get changed into your pyjamas and then we can start the movie!" 

Motsi went first and quickly changed into her pyjamas - a pink long sleeved pyjama top with little hearts on it and matching bottoms - before running back into the bedroom and letting Joachim take his turn. 

"What did your sisters dress up as this year?" Jorge asked, handing his friend a bucket of popcorn with a smile. 

"Oti was a pumpkin, and Phemelo was a cat," replied Motsi, getting out her phone and showing Jorge the picture she had taken of her two sisters before leaving the house to meet up with Joachim. "Mum asked me to do Phemelo's make up, but it was harder than I thought so Mum did it instead. I wish you'd been there, Jorge." 

"Next time they need their faces painted or anything, hit me up, chica!" Jorge laughed, tossing popcorn up into the air and catching it in his mouth. 

"I'm ready!" Joachim called, coming into the room dressed in his pyjamas and taking his popcorn from Jorge. "Come on then, let's get watching!"   
"At last." Jorge pressed play on the movie and they settled back comfortably to watch. 

A seemingly innocent movie about adoption at first, the movie soon turned dark and sinister, and when the plot twist came towards the end, Jorge choked on a piece of popcorn and had to be patted on the back quite vigorously by Joachim, who was also shocked. Motsi's eyes had widened and she was staring at the screen in astonishment - it was definitely one of those plot twists she hadn't seen coming but now that she looked back at all the signs that there had been pointing to this outcome, she couldn't work out why she hadn't guessed it beforehand. 

Suddenly, as the credits began rolling after an ending that shocked them all, Motsi felt something brush against her foot and she screamed. 

"Motsi! Are you all right..?" Jorge asked urgently, pausing the movie and looking across at his friend. 

"I just felt something brush against my feet!" 

"Oh Motsi, it's only Paco!" Jorge burst out laughing, scooping his little dog into his arms and cuddling him close. Paco was the Gonzalez family dog, who had come into their lives four years ago, and everyone literally adored him. Basically all of Jorge's photos on his social media accounts were either of him and his friends, or of him and Paco - he literally adored his dog more than life itself. 

"I got scared for a moment there!" Motsi couldn't help but laugh along with her friends, and Jorge's mum, when she put her head round the door urgently asking if everything was okay up here. "Sorry, Paco." 

"Fair enough - that movie was really creepy!" Jorge laughed, as he cuddled under a blanket with his dog. "Right, guys, what movie shall we watch next?" 

After some deliberation, they decided on their next movie, that being the Insidious series, and before they turned it on, Jorge asked "are you guys ready for dinner..?" 

"Always!" Joachim replied, and Motsi nodded in agreement, so Jorge told them he would be a while and headed downstairs to the kitchen with Paco at his heels to fix them some dinner. He had made salad earlier as well to go with their dinner, which was ready, so all he had to do now was make the shepherds pie. He had found an easy recipe and followed it now, getting out all the ingredients and beginning to make his friends and himself the dinner. Jorge had never been a cook before, but his brother Pablo was actually a chef and over the summer, Jorge had been to stay with him for a few weeks, just him and Paco whilst his parents went off on holiday together. Pablo had taught Jorge some easy recipes, taught him to appreciate cooking and food a lot more than he did before and now he was proud of how his cooking was coming on. 

As the shepherds pie cooked in the oven, Jorge scrolled through his social media, seeing that quite a few of his classmates were doing something for Halloween. Bruno, Giovanni and Graziano were hanging out together - they were having a small house party at Giovanni's, and their costumes looked amazing. Giovanni was dressed as Gomez Addams out of the Addams family, Graziano had gone as Edward Scissorhands, and Bruno was Beetlejuice. It seemed that two girls in their year - Shirley Rich and Darcey Bussell - were also celebrating together. They had been dating for several months now and they had also gone to a party, Darcey as Elphaba and Shirley as Galinda from the musical Wicked. Motsi would love those costumes, Jorge thought of his friend just upstairs, as he continued to scroll. Scrolling back up to the top and refreshing his feed, he started smiling suddenly as he saw a post come up from Craig's Instagram account. 

Thecraigrevel: when my mum said for me and jonnotheaspiringgardener to come along with my siblings to a Halloween party, I didn't think she meant - dress up as skeletons and be the DJs!! 

"Looks like Craig and Jonathan are having a good night," Jorge laughed, showing Motsi and Joachim the photo as he went upstairs a short while later. Handing them each a plateful of steaming shepherds pie, and putting the salad bowl in the middle of them so they could help themselves, he took their glasses so he could refill them. "And Motsi, Darcey and Shirley from our year have gone to a party as Galinda and Elphaba." 

"That's so cool!" Motsi cried, as she began to eat her dinner. 

Jorge suddenly grinned. "Hey guys... do you want me to do your make-up after we've had dinner? I have the best idea of what I could make you up as.."

"As long as it's not a clown, then feel free," Joachim replied, firmly. The first Halloween that Jorge, Joachim and Motsi had all been friends, Jorge had decided to make Joachim up as Pennywise from the movie It... but what Jorge didn't know was that his friend was seriously afraid of clowns. To cut a long story short, Joachim had become upset, and Jorge had spent the next few hours hating himself for making his friend scared. 

"I promise you it won't be a clown of any sort. I really am sorry for what happened last year," said Jorge rather sadly. 

"Hey, I told you, it's fine. You weren't to know Joachim Llambi has a massive fear of clowns," the German-Spaniard replied, with a smile. "Now, are you actually going to eat your shepherds pie..?" 

Jorge laughed, ran downstairs to refill their drinks, and then curled up on his bed and began to eat the dinner he had made. As they watched, they began on the first Insidious movie, and as a lot of horror movies do, it started out as a relatively normal family living a relatively normal life. But very quickly, sinister things began happening and once again the friends were shocked by the storyline and some of the twists. 

"We'll watch the rest of that later," Jorge paused the video once they had all finished their dinner. "For now, it's time for me to make you both up!" 

"What are you going to do to me?" Motsi laughed, as Jorge reached into his drawer for the many face paint and make up sets that he had accumulated over the years. "I'm joking, Jorge.. you're fantastic at make-up." 

"Just wait and see, my chica," replied Jorge with a mysterious smile, covering the mirror so that Motsi couldn't see what he was doing to her face. "I have a great idea." 

Telling Motsi to close her eyes, he dipped his brush into the green face paint and began to paint her face. Having seen some of the costumes from his classmates, and others from friends back in Cuba and Germany, he had had some fantastic ideas. Once her face was completely green, he reached for some mascara out of another drawer and began to apply it to her lashes, making them look longer and darker than ever. The final step was to brush her hair out, and straighten it, so it fell long and dramatically. 

"Now, wait, and don't touch your face - I'll do Joachim and then you can both look together," Jorge told his friend, before having Joachim sit down in the make-up chair. 

Instead of painting his face green like Motsi, Jorge used a sponge to paint Joachim's face deathly white. A smaller brush he then used to paint the smaller details, like blood running from his mouth. When he was all done, he was extremely proud of what he had done, and when he pulled the blanket off the mirror, Joachim and Motsi were incredibly impressed with their friend's handiwork. 

"This looks incredible, Jorge!" exclaimed Motsi, grinning as she saw the face of Elphaba staring back at her. 

"I must admit, you've done a fantastic job," Joachim grinned back at his Count Dracula reflection. "Are you going to do your own make up, Jorge?"

Jorge nodded. "Of course. Give me a few moments." 

At first, the Cuban had no idea what to do with himself, but then he suddenly got an idea. Painting his face bright blue, he grinned at himself as he turned himself into one of the characters from Avatar - the first English movie he had ever watched. Leaving his hair hanging straight down his back, he turned round from the mirror and grinned at his friends, still holding the brush he had used. 

"Photo time, guys!" 

"Um.. Jorge.. we aren't exactly wearing the clothes our characters would wear," Motsi reminded her friend. 

Jorge laughed. "Well, that's what headshots are for! Now what do you say we go and parade round the lounge for my parents, and then have a photo session?" 

So that was what they did. Heading downstairs together, they showed off Jorge's work to Alejandro and Silvana, and the two of them were mightily impressed. Alejandro hadn't really wanted Jorge to be interested in fashion and make up a couple of years ago, and had tried to interest him in football or a job in an office.. but Pablo had talked him around and explained that it was what made the younger of the two Gonzalez sons happy. Right now, he was actually clapping as Jorge and his two friends stood before them. 

"This is fantastic, Jorge," he praised, as his wife took photos of the trio on her phone. "You've really done a fantastic job." 

"Gracias!" Jorge exclaimed, his face breaking into a grin. 

Back upstairs in their room, whilst Joachim and Motsi tucked into some of the tasty cupcakes that Jorge had made, Jorge typed out a caption for the picture he was about to post on Instagram. 

TheJorgeGonzalez: The Wicked Witch of the West, the most famous vampire, and Avatar!! Having the best sleepover and Halloween movie marathon with my best friends joachimllambi and motsimabusexo ❤ Though we didn't go out I decided to make them up as some iconic movie characters!! 

ThePabloGonzalez: hermano this is fantastic!!! So good!! You should be so proud of your talents!!! 

TheJorgeGonzalez: graciassssssss 

"Your brother is so supportive of you, isn't he?" Joachim commented, as Jorge turned off his phone and they got ready to continue watching Insidious. 

"He really is. I have an amazing family, really. I'm really fortunate that they accepted me the way they did when I came out." 

"How exactly did you come out, Jorge..?" Joachim asked a question he had wanted to know for quite some time now but had never found the right time to ask. "Did you.. want to..?" 

"No I didn't. It was my choice, but I didn't want to, exactly." 

"You were outed?"

"No, no. Some people in Germany in the year above Motsi and I found out I was gay, and started bullying me for it. I ended up having enough of it, and told my brother that I was a victim of homophobia at school and that I wanted him to help me tell our parents. He helped me tell them, and the two students got expelled. And from that day on, I was out. I won't lie, I was terrified especially because I know Cuba wasn't always the most accepting of gay people, but my parents were amazing." 

"I was outed." 

Jorge whipped around to see Joachim looking rather sadly down at his feet. 

"You what?" 

"Yeah. I was outed. A.. a former friend of mine told the school I was bisexual and I started to get really badly bullied for it. It.. it was part of the reason I left my old school and came to our school now." Tears appeared to form in Joachim's eyes, and the German Spaniard began to cry suddenly, though he tried to blink them back as he wasn't really one to cry much. 

"Oh, Joachim. I'm so sorry," Motsi sat down next to her friend and slipped her arm around him, feeling so sorry for him. She couldn't imagine what a horrible experience it must be, for someone to reveal someone else's sexuality before they were ready. "And I'm so sorry that they bullied you for it. That's not okay at all." 

"I hate homophobia more than anything," Jorge's eyes flashed as he sat on the other side of Joachim. "My friend, I'm so sorry you had to deal with that! People are truly vile sometimes. But you know now that you're worth so much, right?" 

"Real friends would never out their friends, or think differently of them because of their sexuality," Motsi told Joachim, her head resting on his arm, forgetting for a moment she was probably getting green face paint all over them. "And we'll never do either of those things. We love you, Joachim, regardless of who you choose to get into a relationship with." 

"Thanks, guys.." Joachim wiped his eyes. "I really appreciate you both." 

"You don't have to thank us. We just treat you the way someone like you deserves to be treated," replied Jorge, with a fond smile. 

"You okay..?" 

"I'll be fine," replied Joachim, nodding his head. "I've got you two, and you're the most amazing friends I could ever have asked for. Now..." 

"Now what?" 

"Now why don't we continue watching Insidious?"

"Your wish is our command, Joachim Llambi," said Jorge, as they got themselves comfortable and began to watch the movie again, grateful for the fact they were friends and they were together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I seriously love writing about the friendship between Joachim, Jorge and Motsi. 
> 
> What did you guys think of this chapter? I personally loved writing this one 🥺🥺
> 
> Thank you so so much for your support on this story so far! It means the world to me always 🥺🥺
> 
> See you guys in the next chapter, which hopefully shall be soon 🥺🥺


	7. the true reaction

"Hey, you two, my mum says that you can stay over at my house the night before the geography trip, so long as we promise to go to bed at a reasonable hour," Joachim told Jorge and Motsi on arrival at school the next day. "And she said you can stay over Friday night as well, and then we could take you both home on Saturday?" 

They had a geography school trip on Friday, as part of their research investigation project that they had to do as part of their course. They were going to be visiting a river, sketching parts, and taking notes on anything they felt was important. There were to be about 30 students attending, all the ones that took geography GCSE, and although Joachim, Jorge and Motsi weren't exactly looking forward to spending their day investigating a river and getting up at 5 in the morning to travel there, they were glad that they could be together. 

"That sounds like a perfect idea," Motsi smiled - she knew it would make it easier for her mum, who would have to bring Oti and Phemelo in the car with her as there was nobody else to look after them. "I'll ask Mum but I'm sure she'll be thrilled with that." 

"Same with my parents. Thank your mum and dad for me, Joachim," Jorge nodded, and Joachim promised that he would with a smile on his face. 

"It's going to be a really boring trip, I feel," Motsi voiced her thoughts, "but it'll be so much more fun with you two. Thank you so much for picking geography." 

"And getting up at 5am, that should be illegal," laughed Joachim, "but you're right, Motsi. And hey, we've got more exciting trips to look forward to over the next few months. Like the drama one, and the trip to the science museum and aquarium in a couple of weeks, and the residential one at the end of the year." 

"What play do you hope we'll go and see for drama?" Motsi questioned her two friends. "I'm hoping we'll get to see a musical. There would be so much to write about!" 

"It would definitely be so much more fun! And for me, it would ideally be Priscilla, Queen of the Desert," Jorge replied - he had been to see that musical a couple of years ago with Motsi before they met Joachim and it had meant so much to him. He had been in absolute awe of the lavish costumes and the actors that played their roles so perfectly, completely transfixed for two hours. 

"An iconic musical! I'd love to go and see Joseph and his Amazing Technicoloured Dreamcoat, actually," Joachim added in, a musical he had once starred in a school performance of when he was younger and living in Germany. 

"And for me, it would most definitely be Wicked!" Motsi added, breaking into song spontaneously. "It's time to try defying gravity..!" 

"See, Motsi! I've always told you you can sing!" Craig came over to them with Jonathan holding his hand. At first, when they had come out, they had been very upset when they had received homophobic comments from some students, but nowadays they didn't care. Craig had no time for anyone who was homophobic and neither did Jonathan, and fortunately, all except a few students at their school accepted the fact they were both gay and in a relationship. These students now left Joachim and Jorge alone as well, after a certain event in a PE class where Jorge explained in Spanish exactly what he thought of homophobes. 

"I really can't. Not as well as you can anyway, Craig," Motsi laughed. "But hey, I will take part in the Christmas concert seeing as it's a choir. I just won't be auditioning for any of the solo parts or putting myself out there like you and Bruno and Giovanni and Graziano.." 

"What you're doing is exactly what I will be doing," Jonathan, who was much shyer and hated school performances, replied as he swung his bag further onto his back. "Just singing in the choir." 

"Oh Jonno, I think you should audition for a solo!" Craig squeezed his boyfriend's hand. "Or how about a duet with me?" 

"How about no?" Jonathan laughed, shuddering. "A duet with you? That's fine in our bedrooms, and I do love singing with you, but you totally outsing me." 

"You're too modest," Craig told his boyfriend, with a laugh. "It's going to be a fun affair! It always is." 

"I really enjoy school productions," Jorge admitted, as the bell rang and they began to make their way towards class, trying to get themselves motivated for another long day of work. "Motsi, remember the Nativity we starred in in Germany where Phemelo didn't stop crying throughout the whole thing?" 

"Oh yes!" Motsi laughed, getting flashbacks of the event, which had occurred when she was around nine or ten. "Basically, we did a Nativity in Germany when Jorge and I were about 10," she explained to the others, "and on the day, my mum came along with Phemelo, who was only a baby at the time. To cut a long story short, Phemelo didn't stop crying the entire time.. and I was so annoyed back then, wasn't I, Jorge? But now I just find it funny." 

"She was furious," Jorge vouched for his friend, laughing. "She was playing one of the Angels and she was furious her part had been cried through." 

"I never really did any nativities," replied Joachim, "apart from one where I was a sheep. A fucking sheep." 

"It could have been way worse, Joachim. You could have been the donkey's hind legs. I auditioned to be Joseph, and that's what I ended up doing." Jorge folded his arms. 

"Did you actually?" 

"Unfortunately, I did," Jorge replied, falling silent as they entered their classroom, sitting down at his desk next to Motsi. 

.. 

When Craig arrived at the Gardiners with his family for dinner and a studying session with Jason, Jason wasn't waiting at the door with his parents like he always was. 

Jamie was waiting there with Pamela and Keith, evidently having just been playing football - from what Craig had seen over the past couple weeks, Jason and Jamie were literally like chalk and cheese. Whilst the younger of the two lived for sports, particularly football, Jason despised sports and preferred to either read or study in his room. Whereas Jamie was a social butterfly, had many friends, and was always going to social events, the only friend that Jason seemed to have was Ashley (and Craig if he only let him truly be his friend). Jamie didn't appear to be particularly academic, whereas along with Jonathan, Jason was the most intelligent person Craig knew. Craig was aware that they weren't technically related, seeing as these were not Jason's actual parents, but the fact two people could live in the same family and be so different in everything apart from a mild similarity in looks was incomprehensible. 

"Jason's upstairs waiting for you, Craig," Craig was told by Jason's mum, and so Craig thanked her for the information and began to head upstairs. 

But halfway up the stairs, he was stopped by the sound of the most beautiful singing coming from one of the rooms. Craig was stunned by how beautiful it was - he was proud of his singing voice and all the shows that he had appeared in, but this singing voice was so much more developed than his, so much stronger. And there was only one person that it could be - seeing as it was a male voice, Keith and Jamie were downstairs, Trent was too young to sing, and as far as Craig knew, Pamela and Keith didn't have another son... 

Coming to a stop outside Jason's door, there was no doubt that the singing was coming from there. But who would have guessed that Jason had such a beautiful voice? At school, he always acted as though he despised singing, and made fun of anyone who took part in choirs or in school shows. But here he was now, singing like that, and Craig couldn't have been more surprised.

Quietly entering the room, Craig saw that Jason was sitting on his bed, his back to the door, singing his heart out. The song that he was singing was one that Craig knew well, from one of his favourite musicals in fact, that musical being Cats. It had been one of the first theatre shows Craig's mum had ever taken him to, and he had fallen in love with it instantly, aspiring to one day be in the show. 

And all his singular magical powers   
And I've known the family to call   
Him in from the garden for hours   
Whilst he was asleep in the hall   
And not long ago this phenomenal cat   
Produced seven kittens right out of a hat

And we all say..

Oh! Well I never! Was there ever?   
A cat so clever as Magical Mister Mistoffelees? 

It was at that moment that Jason turned round and realised, to his horror, that Craig had been watching his little performance. Anger flooding his face, suddenly feeling hugely embarrassed by the fact that Craig had heard him doing something he hated other people to hear him do, he snapped, "How long have you been standing there..?"

"Only a minute," replied Craig truthfully, turning slightly red in the face . "I promise. I only heard like five lines properly. Jason.. you're such a good singer." 

"I'm really not," snorted the younger Australian, standing up from the bed with a still half-angry, half-panicked look on his face. "But.. thank you." 

"Seriously, I mean it! I never knew you could sing like that," Craig remarked, sitting down on the bed next to his studying partner. 

"That's because I don't tell anyone," replied Jason a little curtly, beginning to get his stuff ready for studying. "Apart from Ashley and my family, nobody else knows." 

"Why don't you tell anyone?" Craig questioned, wondering if he might get some extra information out of him, but he instantly regretted it after the words came out his mouth. 

He was so sure Jason would tell him to mind his own business and snap at him, but instead, he just replied in a low voice, "it's a long story. And not one I really want to get into right now, if you don't mind." 

"Okay," Craig nodded with understanding, "I'm sorry." 

"It's fine. It's just something I'd rather not get into at this moment in time," Jason told him, before handing him a mathematics past paper. "Here. This is what we'll do today." 

"Sounds good." Craig sat down, before catching sight of something on the other side of the room that he couldn't quite believe it had taken him so long to notice. "Why have you got a balloon over there?" 

"If you really insist on knowing.. it's my birthday today" replied Jason rather hesitantly. 

"Are you kidding? Happy birthday!" Craig exclaimed, giving him a very quick hug, for he knew Jason was not an overly affectionate person to say the least. "I'm guessing it's your sixteenth? How come you didn't tell anyone about this..?" 

"What's the big deal? I'm just one year older than I was yesterday," replied Jason rather curtly, shrugging. "Plus... who's really going to care, apart from you? Ashley knows, and he and I are going out tomorrow night to celebrate, but apart from that, who do you know who really cares? Joachim?" He gave a derisive laugh at the mention of Craig's friend that he just didn't get on with, and it was in that moment that Craig realised that that was the first time he had ever heard Jason call Joachim by his first name. He always referred to Joachim as Llambi, so to hear the boy's real first name said by Jason was weird indeed. 

"I care. I always care when it's my friends' birthdays," Craig said softly, letting that word "friend" slip out, for that was what he did really want to be to Jason. 

"Well, thank you. Not many people have ever said that to me," Jason replied, before beginning to write his name on the front of the paper. "Right, shall we get on with this paper?" 

Seeing the conversation was closed, Craig nodded. 

He sat down and opened the exam paper that Jason had printed off for him, but all the time that he was trying to complete the 24 maths questions, his mind was elsewhere, thinking of something that he could get Jason for his birthday that was extra special. That showed he really cared about him. 

Because even though Jason hadn't always treated him well, he really did care about the Australian and wanted to show him that. 

Craig got home with his family at around 9pm in the end, after a productive evening with Jason, and immediately went to his room with a hot chocolate. Sitting down at his desk with it, he took out a HB pencil, a sharpener, a rubber, a blank sheet of A4 and his coloured pencils from one of his drawers. Art was something he had really enjoyed ever since he was young, and a subject he had longed to take at GCSE before his older sister completely put him off it with the number of breakdowns she had over the subject. Sue still managed to get a grade B, what she had been hoping for, but the stress it caused her was not something that Craig wanted in his life. 

He began to copy a picture he had found on the internet, adding his own details to it every now and then as he did so. Through the posters on his walls, Craig had found out that there were many musicals that Jason loved, and therefore he had chosen one that was on there - that one being Little Shop of Horrors. Sketching the silhouettes of Audrey and Seymour, Craig added the silhouette of the plant in the background, before neatly printing a quote from the movie that he himself loved - "Underneath the bruises and the handcuffs, you know what I saw? A girl I respected. I still do." 

He fervently hoped that Jason would like it. From what he had seen inside his closet when he opened it one day to get something out, Jason was a rather talented artist himself, and had a much more developed style than Craig himself. Craig just prayed that his fellow Australian wouldn't condemn his efforts, that he would appreciate the present that Craig had worked so hard to create tonight. 

On the back, he thought of a small message to write, and eventually put "Dear Jason, Happy belated 16th birthday! I hope that this makes you smile. Craig x." He wondered if the kiss was a good idea after he put it, seeing as they weren't exactly close friends as of the moment, but eventually decided to leave it there after a few moments of contemplation. After all, it made the message look less blunt and a lot more friendly. 

He was very proud of it when he finally finished. Gently slipping it into a huge white envelope so that it wouldn't get crumpled or torn, he wrote Jason's name in block capitals on the front, before leaving the envelope on his desk, ready to give Jason tomorrow night. Tomorrow evening, after school, he would go over to the Gardiner household and give it to him though they weren't studying again till later in the week. 

With that, he tidied up his desk, neatly putting all his stationery away into the correct places, and then got ready for bed, changing into his pyjamas. 

And getting into bed and turning the light off, just the light of his phone left as he scrolled through his social media and messaged Jonathan, he hoped that Jason really would like the present that he had worked so hard tonight to make him. 

.. 

"Jorge Gonzalez! Would you consider singing a few lines solo in the Christmas show?" their drama teacher asked Jorge the next day, as he stood with Joachim, Motsi, Craig and Jonathan in the playground at breaktime, talking. 

"Um... I'm really not the greatest singer," laughed Jorge, as he tied his hair back, "but sure, I'll give it a go." 

"Joachim?" 

"Um... sure. Yeah. I don't mind. Put my name down." 

"Motsi?" 

"I.. I can't really sing, but I'll give it a try if these two are." 

"Craig, I obviously know you're doing a solo, and Jonathan.. would you consider doing a few lines alone?" 

"I'm not really sure. My voice isn't very..." 

"Come on, Jonno! You're a great singer really. He just compares himself too much," Craig said to the teacher. 

"You don't have to do it if you don't want to, Jonathan, but it would definitely be nice to hear you sing," the teacher encouraged him, and Jonathan thought about it for a moment before finally nodding. 

"All right. I'll sing a couple of lines." 

"Yes, Jonno! You'll be amazing," Craig cried, patting his boyfriend on the back as the teacher smiled at them all, wrote down Jonathan's name, thanked them, and walked off to find other students. 

"What on earth have I just agreed to do?" Jorge exclaimed, as soon as the teacher was out of earshot, looking around at his friends. "I can't even sing!" 

"Oh, come off it, Jorge! You're literally writing songs all the time," Joachim reminded him, rolling his eyes. It was true - Jorge loved writing songs, and earlier this summer he had written a bunch of rather impressive ones whilst in Cuba. 

"Just because you can write songs, doesn't mean you can sing," shot back Jorge, "but hey, it should be fun. But Motsi, chica, what was that about not being able to sing...? You're an amazing singer!" 

"I'm really not!" 

"Yes, you are! And anyone who has ever told you you can't sing is factually wrong," Jorge told her fiercely, giving her a hug. "You'll be amazing." 

Soon after that, the bell rang, signalling the end of lunch. They headed into class together for Spanish, where they found their teacher was off with a nasty sickness bug. However, they had still been set work to do, so they got on with it, a teacher popping in every now and again to check they weren't just taking advantage of there being no proper lesson and just talking with their friends. Jorge completed his relatively quickly and then spent the rest of the lesson helping Motsi with hers, as she was struggling to remember some of the vocabulary. 

"What's the sentence you want to say?" the Cuban tapped Motsi's page with his pen, noticing she was struggling again. 

"Sorry if I'm annoying. My godmother is my mum's best friend, whilst Oti and Phemelo's godmothers are my dad's sisters." 

"You're never annoying! And it would be: Mi madrina es la mejor amiga de mi madre, mientras las madrinas de Oti y Phemelo son las hermanas de mi padre," Jorge translated. 

"Um.. can you write that down for me?" 

"Of course!" Jorge nodded, writing the sentence down on a piece of scrap paper in his extremely large and messy handwriting (something he got pulled up on a lot by by teachers). "There you go." 

"Thanks, Jorge," Motsi smiled, copying down the sentence in her much neater writing. "You're literally the reason I'm doing as well as I am in Spanish." 

"Well, you're the only reason I'm passing some of my other subjects," Jorge told his friend, with a smile. "So thank you." 

.. 

"Hi, Craig!" Pamela looked more than a little surprised to see Craig standing there, without his family. 

"Is Jason in? I have something for him.." Craig said slowly, wondering if he should have come. Maybe the drawing inside the white envelope he was carrying was pathetic, maybe Jason wouldn't like it at all. Maybe this was a dreadful idea.. 

"He is! He's just upstairs studying - he's going out in a couple of hours though," Jason's mum replied, with a friendly smile. "You can go on up." 

Craig thanked her and headed up the stairs with the envelope in his hand, taking a few deep breaths before he knocked on Jason's door. The Australian immediately called out "come in!" so Craig swallowed and entered, hoping that all would go well. 

"Craig? What are you doing here?" Jason asked, turning around from where he was obviously hard at work on some English literature revision. 

"Um... I came to give you something," Craig stuttered slightly as he walked over to Jason and handed him the envelope. 

"What's this...?" 

"I know you said you didn't care much about your birthday.. but I wanted to give you something. So.. um.. happy belated birthday," Craig smiled at the end, hoping that he didn't sound as awkward as he thought he did. 

Without a word, Jason opened up the envelope carefully and slid out what was inside it, simply gazing at it for a moment. 

Craig had expected one of many reactions from his fellow Australian. He had expected him to laugh, or tear it up in front of him, or get annoyed.. or maybe, at a push, give a small smile and say thank you. 

But nothing could have prepared him for the true reaction that Jason Gardiner gave.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think Jason's TRUE reaction was? 
> 
> You'll find out next chapter! I'm sorry hahaha, I had to leave it on a cliffhanger 😂
> 
> Another update for you beautiful people :) 
> 
> This story is my only story I'm ahead on writing at the moment, I have a fair few pre-written chapters that I just need to edit really... expect fairly regular updates. 
> 
> I literally love typing this story, so I really hope you're enjoying it as much as I am ;) 
> 
> Also, the quote that Craig writes on the picture? Literally my favourite quote from LSOH. The Suddenly Seymour scene has to be my favourite!! 🥺🥺


	8. more than anything

Without any warning, Jason's face crumpled as he gazed at the drawing and tears began to spill down his cheeks. 

Craig was horrified as he watched on. He had expected many reactions to come out of his fellow Aussie, but he hadn't expected to make Jason cry! Jason was such a tough character, so unemotional most of the time.. so to see him crying made Craig realise that the drawing must have really had a big impact on him. 

"I can take it back... I'm so sorry if I've upset you," he said in a slightly panicked voice, sitting down next to the boy and putting his arm round him. Jason tensed slightly, but Craig kept his arm there, wanting to comfort him. "I didn't want to make you sad.." 

"You... you didn't make me sad. I'm crying because.. this is honestly one of the..the most thoughtful things I've ever been given by anyone," Jason choked the words out through his tears, putting the drawing on the bedside table and burying his face in his hands. "Thank you.." 

His words stunned Craig, who was feeling rather relieved at the words you didn't make me sad. Craig had fully predicted him to hate it, or give a very underwhelming reaction to the drawing he had worked so hard on. He definitely hadn't expected Jason to love it to the point of joyful tears. 

"So you actually like it..?" 

"How could I not? You've drawn a picture of one of my favourite musicals, you've added literally my favourite quote, and you've put so much time and effort into this for me," Jason replied, through the tears. "Thank you so much, Craig." 

"You're welcome. Jason...?" Craig began, feeling as though he had to say something that he had been wanting to say for months. 

"Yeah..?" Jason looked up, fiercely wiping his eyes. 

"Jason, I know something happened to you in the past. Don't say that it didn't, because I know it did. From what you said to Joachim that time in the lunch hall about him knowing nothing about you and sports, to some of the things you've said when I've been over here, I know something happened to you. I'm not going to force you to say what that something is, you aren't obligated to tell me anything you don't want to, but I want you to know that.. whatever happened.. I'm sorry that you went through it. And if you ever want to talk about it, you can always talk to me. I want to be there for you, and I want to be your friend, Jason. More than anything." 

"Why are you.. why are you so fucking understanding?" Jason wept, more tears falling from his eyes after Craig's unplanned and emotional speech. "I don't understand why.. why are you so understanding?" 

"Because I care about you, Jason. You might have been horrible to me at times, but I really do care about you and I want to be your friend, if you'll let me. I know I'm friends with someone you don't like, and I accept that, but I really want to be your friend too and be there for you." 

"I.. I'd like to be your friend too, Craig. I'm just.. I don't know." 

"What do you mean?" 

"People.. I don't know how to explain. People have always-" 

"Screwed you over..?" Craig finished for him, and Jason gave a hesitant nod. "Hurt you?" Jason nodded again. "Jason.. I'm sorry that people treated you like that. But I promise I'll never screw you over. I'm trying to be your friend because I care about you and because I want to be there for you, not because I want to hurt you. Friends..?" 

Jason looked at the drawing on the side once again, contemplating his answer. The cogs seemed to be whirring in his brain as he decided what to say, and Craig waited for his answer patiently, not rushing him or forcing him to say anything. It was obvious that he wasn't sure what to say, what he wanted to do about this situation. The main question in his mind was, did he really want to open himself up to getting hurt again? Ashley was safe to be around. He had known Ashley all his life almost, knew that Ashley wasn't likely to screw him over. But could he be so sure about Craig..? Yes, Craig seemed so lovely and seemed to care about him a lot, but so did - 

"Yeah," he croaked out eventually, and Craig smiled and, after first gaining consent, wrapped his arm fully around him. "Yeah... friends." 

.. 

"Thank you so much for letting us stay over, Veronica," Motsi said in hesitant Spanish, as she, Joachim and Jorge arrived home from school on Thursday night. Although Joachim's mum understood German as well, Jorge always spoke to her in Spanish, seeing as that was their shared first language, and so Motsi tried to do the same despite the fact that she was much weaker at the language. 

She had spoken very basic Spanish before she moved to the UK, thanks to being friends with Jorge, but that was about it. She really struggled at first, finding Spanish a lot harder than German. German she had learned very quickly because of constantly being around people who spoke it and having to use it to get by - but Spanish was harder to learn as she spoke very little Spanish outside of school. She had, however, become slightly more confident this year, and Joachim and Jorge had been doing their best to coach her. They often held little conversations with her, and now she could understand them pretty well when they spoke to her spontaneously, which she was proud of. 

And thanks to the time that Joachim and Jorge entered the three legged race at sports day together, and the time that Jorge fell off his bike and landed in a muddy ditch, she knew quite a few Spanish swear words as well. 

"You're more than welcome, guys. It's always a pleasure to have you here," replied Joachim's mum with a friendly smile. "Joachim-" and here she turned to address her son, "your dad and I are going to be going out tonight for dinner, so as to give you guys the house for a couple of hours. We'll leave pizza bases and some toppings out so that you guys can make pizzas for dinner. We'll be back around 10.30, and we hope you'll be asleep by then, seeing as you have to get up early tomorrow." 

"Don't worry, Mum, we will be fast asleep by then," promised Joachim, "and don't worry, we'll clean up the kitchen." 

After a little more conversation with Joachim's mum about school and the trip the next day, the trio headed upstairs to Joachim's room. The room was covered in photographs that Joachim had taken - photography was something he did as a hobby, and he had so many photos up on the walls of his friends, his family, sunsets, and his pet tortoise. One of his favourite pictures that hadn't been taken by him, but featured him, was on the wall opposite his bed, so that when he woke up he could see it immediately. It was of him, Jorge and Motsi on last year's school residential trip skiing, on the second night, when they had gone to a little disco in the hotel together. They were sitting at a table together, Joachim in the middle with his two friends either side of him, and they were all smiling at the camera as their teacher took the picture. The photo always made him smile, no matter how he felt. and remember what amazing times he had had with two of the most incredible people he had ever met. 

"Right, I think we should make sure that we have everything for the trip tomorrow, and then we can relax for the evening," Motsi said, taking a checklist of everything their teachers had told them to bring out of her bag. "Balls of string?" 

"Ever organised and practical, Motshegetsi Mabuse," laughed Jorge, flinging himself onto the bed that Joachim had made up for him. "I wish I had your organisation skills.   
And uhhh.. yeah, I have balls of string." 

"Me too." 

"Well done, guys! Now, how about a measuring stick?" 

It turned out that they all had everything they needed - well, except for Jorge, who didn't have a tennis ball, but Joachim found one in the garden shed and all was fine. Just as they were making sure that their stuff was packed for tomorrow, so that they wouldn't have to do it in the morning, Joachim's dad knocked on the door to say that they were leaving, and that their lunches for tomorrow were waiting in the fridge for them. 

"Thanks!" the three friends called out. 

"See you later," Joachim added, opening the door and hugging both of his parents goodbye. "I promise you, I'll make sure we're all asleep before you come back." 

With that, the three friends were left alone in the house, and as soon as the car pulled away from the drive, Joachim asked, "shall we make pizzas? I'm starving." 

"All right then," laughed Jorge, nodding as they headed downstairs to the warm kitchen where Joachim's mum had left out the pizza things. "So, what toppings do we have?" 

Joachim listed the different toppings that were in little black dishes on the side - ham, three different types of cheese, pineapple, pepperoni, vegetarian sausage, capsicum, chicken and of course tomato puree - and then handed both his friends a pizza base. 

"So, Joachim, how's Barker?" Jorge asked, giggling as he said the name. People would be forgiven for thinking that Barker was Joachim's dog, but in reality, Barker was his pet tortoise. He so desperately wanted a dog, but unfortunately his dad was allergic so they could never have one in the house. Jorge had given him and Motsi - who also couldn't have a dog - a share of Paco, but Joachim had initially named the tortoise Barker because of how much he had wanted a dog.

"Barker is fine. I'll get him out later for his daily exercise," Joachim laughed, as he spread a neat circle of tomato sauce onto his pizza with a spoon. 

"I still can't get over the fact you actually called your tortoise a name like Barker," Jorge rolled his eyes as he sprinkled an excessive amount of cheese over his pizza. 

"I just so badly wanted a dog, all right..?" Joachim laughed at his friend's teasing remarks. 

"Yours isn't the worst. I once had a fish called Skipper," Jorge confessed, as he made a smiley face on his pizza - pepperoni for eyes, capsicum for the nose and mouth, and extra cheese for the hair. "Quite an ironic name if I do say so myself." 

Once all three pizzas were made, Joachim carefully put them into the oven, leaving them there to cook. Whilst he waited for them, he made some garlic bread and some salad to go with the pizzas, Jorge and Motsi helping him with these tasks. Twenty minutes later, they were sitting down to their dinner in the lounge, cuddled up under blankets as it was freezing outside, the TV on in the background. There was nothing on of interest tonight, so Joachim just left it on and they chatted as though it wasn't on, every now and then briefly watching the teams that were taking part on the quiz show. 

After dinner, which all three thoroughly enjoyed, Joachim turned off the TV and asked "who fancies trying to beat me at Mario Kart?" 

"I'll give it a go!" Jorge cried, jumping up, "and I'm going to beat you!" 

"I'd like to see you try, Jorge absurdly long name Gonzalez." 

"Where I come from, the length of my name isn't unusual. Your mum has a very long name, doesn't she?" 

"Yes, she does. However, I'm just Joachim Llambi," replied Joachim with a laugh. "My parents didn't take any time trying to sort out a middle name for me." 

"Well then, Joachim no middle name Llambi, get ready to watch me absolutely thrash you at Mario Kart." 

The next hour and a half consisted of Joachim beating Jorge at Mario Kart every single time, and Jorge getting progressively more and more annoyed with his friend. Motsi tried a few times, and she didn't beat Joachim (although she beat Jorge every time) but she came closer to doing so than her Cuban friend. 

"Do you want some advice, Jorge?" Joachim asked, as the game started again and his car sped out in front of everyone else's. 

"Yes please!" 

"Maybe try actually staying on the road? I've heard that doing that really helps you get to your destination quicker!" 

"This game is rigged!" Jorge cried, as he flipped off the track once again and Joachim continued on to the finish line. "There's no other reason why you would win every single game!" 

"Jorge, have you ever considered the fact that it's maybe because I'm simply better at Mario Kart than you?" Joachim laughed. 

"It's still rigged," Jorge folded his arms. "Right, let's go again! I'm not giving up till I beat you at this!" 

"Looks like we'll be here all night then," Joachim chuckled, getting ready to race again. 

An hour later, at 9.30pm, they decided to finally end the game, Jorge having won one game finally against Motsi, but only because Joachim came up behind him and helped him control the vehicle. 

"Right, I think we should go have showers, and then go to bed before my parents get home," Joachim said, leading his friends up the stairs, downstairs having been tidied up. "Because I think my mum might be a bit annoyed if we're still awake." 

Jorge took the bathroom first, as he generally took the longest time, and when he came out with wet hair and his pyjamas on, Motsi went in. Finally, Joachim went in, taking the shortest time of them all, and once they were all finished, they got into their beds (Joachim had made Jorge and Motsi up two mattresses on the floor). 

"Jorge..?" Joachim said suddenly, as they were lying in bed, scrolling on their phones before they went to sleep. He had just been congratulating Giovanni on Instagram, who had today along with his girlfriend Luba won an audition to a very prestigious dance college and in two weeks would be dancing before the owners to see if he was good enough to study there. 

"Yeah..?" 

"I know I make fun of you constantly, especially when it comes to your Mario Kart skills.. but you know that you're one of the two best friends I've ever had, don't you?" 

"Of course I know that!" Jorge nodded, with a smile. "I know you're just joking. And let's face it, Joachim, I am pretty shit at Mario Kart." 

"You are, but you're hilarious when you're playing it," Joachim laughed, thinking about how his friend constantly veered off the road during the game. "But seriously, you two are the best friends I've ever had. And I'm really grateful for your friendship." 

"What's brought this on, Joachim?" Jorge laughed. 

"Nothing! I just wanted to let you know that I'm really grateful for your friendship and am so glad that you two took me under your wing when I arrived." 

"Awww, Joachim, we're really grateful for your friendship too!" Motsi exclaimed, getting up and going over to give her friend a hug. "You're an amazing friend to us both you know, and we really appreciate you." 

At that moment, they heard a car pull up outside, it evidently being Joachim's parents home, and Joachim hissed, "guys, lie down and pretend to be asleep." 

All three of them lay down in their beds and breathed deeply, lying very still, acting as though they were soundly sleeping. A couple of moments later, Veronica put her head around the door, and smiled with satisfaction, sufficiently fooled into thinking her son and his two best friends were fast asleep. 

Whispering "buenas noches", she headed out the door, and Joachim, Jorge and Motsi whispered goodnight to one another sleepily before falling asleep for real.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Joachim, Jorge and Motsi's friendship is fast becoming one of my favourite friendships to write about 🥺🥺
> 
> This is heavily based off the geography trip I went on last year, although I didn't fall into the water luckily!! Jorge trying to get some paper out the water with his foot and falling in is a true story though and something that happened to me.. just not on a geography trip 😂
> 
> My updates might be a little bit slower till a month today on all my stories, because I'm going to be doing mock exams from 9th December and I really want to smash them and do much better than I did in the summer. On this story I have quite a few chapters pre written or partly pre written, but on my others I don't. Please bear with me if I'm a bit slower updating, I hope you all understand ❤
> 
> Thank you all so much for reading, i love you all ❤


	9. leopard print trousers

"Jorge, for the fifth time, you need to get up now!" Joachim cried, shaking Jorge, who was still in bed, awake. 

"I refuse," Jorge groaned, rolling over and burying his head under the pillow. "Let me sleep more. 4.30am is no time to be awake." 

"Jorge, none of us want to be awake at this ungodly hour, but unless you want to miss the bus, then get up," Joachim folded his arms, standing over his friend.

"No." 

"Motsi, go and get me a cup of cold water," Joachim winked at the south African beauty, and immediately Jorge threw himself out of bed in a very weird fashion and stood up with very flamboyant hand gestures. 

"You wouldn't dare." 

"Oh, wouldn't I?" Joachim snorted, pulling on his walking boots, waterproof so that he wouldn't be walking around with wet feet all day. "Why don't you test that? Now come on, we have half an hour till we need to leave and we still need to have breakfast." 

Groaning, Jorge heaved himself towards the bathroom, his clothes hanging over his shoulders. He came back fifteen minutes later wearing black jeans, a black sleeveless shirt, and bright red waterproof boots - the students had been told that because they were going to be doing a lot of walking and would probably get wet, they could wear what they wanted for today.. within reason. 

"He's awake!" Motsi exclaimed, as she made sure that she had everything in her bag, unpacking it before repacking it again, ticking items off her list. 

"This should be illegal," Jorge responded, sitting down on the bed and massaging his aching head. "Seriously, what possessed our teachers? Why did they think that going on a trip at 5 in the morning was a good idea?" 

"I have no idea, but that's teachers for you." Joachim heaved his bag onto his back. "I don't know about you, but I'm starving. Shall we go eat..?" 

"You guys ready..?" Joachim's mum put her head round the door, smiling with approval as she saw that they were all indeed ready to leave. "Good. I was thinking we could get a McDonalds breakfast on the way to school.." 

That idea immediately found favour with the trio, for they all nodded eagerly and raced downstairs to get their lunches and get everything into the car. They couldn't help but smile as they saw the lunches that Veronica had made for them. She had put everything into three Tupperware boxes, and there were little labels stuck on the lid of each upon which their names were written. There was a sandwich in each - ham salad for Joachim, tuna mayonnaise for Motsi and cheese for Jorge, and then there was a bag of crisps, a small chocolate bar and some fruit in each as well. 

"Thanks so much, Mum! This is great," Joachim beamed as his mum came into the room. 

"Yes, thank you so much, Veronica!" Jorge agreed, and Motsi also thanked her, albeit in much more hesitant Spanish than her friends. 

"You're welcome, guys," Veronica replied, with a smile on her face. "Now, shall we get all your stuff in the car..?" 

It didn't take long to get everything they needed loaded into the boot of the car and before long the three friends were sitting in the back, Veronica driving them to the school to meet up with everyone else who was going on the trip. On the way they pulled over to get breakfast, and Veronica ordered Joachim, Jorge and Motsi a sausage and egg mcmuffin each, with a bottle of water. 

"Okay, maybe getting up at 4.30am wasn't so bad after all," Jorge joked, as he took a huge bite out of his mcmuffin. "I still know I'm going to be exhausted by like 11am." 

"Well, when you come home tonight with us, you can go to bed whenever you like," Veronica said from the front seat. "I expect your friends will be going to bed early as well.. isn't that right, Joachim..?" 

"Probably! If we really have to do as much walking as the teachers say."

They arrived at school ten minutes later to find a large group of demotivated and tired looking students just like themselves. Craig and Jonathan were sitting on the wall together talking, and Jason and Ashley weren't far away - and the latter couldn't have looked less excited to be there. 

"What time are you due to arrive back, Joachim?" Veronica asked her son, and Joachim shrugged and replied, "I think it's still 5pm. But I've got my phone, so I'll message you if the plans change." 

"Perfect." 

After having their names ticked off on the register and having a lecture from the teachers about expected behaviour whilst off the school premises, the students said goodbye to their parents and began to get onto the coach. There were only two seats next to one another before the next row, so Joachim and Jorge sat together, and Motsi sat directly opposite them so they could still talk. Craig and Jonathan, obviously sitting together, ended up a few rows behind them, and Ashley and Jason landed some of the very back seats, being another pairing who obviously sat together. 

"Joachim..?" 

"Yes, Jorge?" 

"I'm going to sleep," Jorge announced, reaching into his bag and pulling out a sleep mask that looked like something one would wear to a carnival. "And don't even think about waking me up before we get to the river." 

"Fine by me," Joachim laughed, fastening his belt, "I'm just going to read my book until we get there. Although I'm tired, there's no way I'll be able to fall asleep on here." 

"Well, I can. Goodnight," Jorge said, before pulling his sleep mask over his eyes and falling asleep within minutes. 

"Are you planning on sleeping, Motsi?" Joachim turned to his friend, and Motsi shook her head, replying "I was planning on reading a book on my phone." 

"I'll come sit next to you," Joachim decided, quickly unfastening his seatbelt and jumping into the seat beside Motsi before shy of the teachers could turn around and notice that he had done so. "What are you reading..?" 

"I was thinking of reading something in Spanish, actually," Motsi replied, "because I'm really worried that I'm not going to pass my GCSE Spanish at this rate." 

"Well, reading and watching TV shows in English is the main way I learned it," replied Joachim with a smile, "so that's a good idea! And don't talk down on yourself... you're a whole lot better than you give yourself credit for." 

Motsi ended up choosing a Spanish book, but struggled with it, deciding about three pages in to abandon it and read it another time. She started on an English book, one that she had loved many years ago, and stayed absorbed in that one until they stopped outside a cafeteria and small shop. 

"Right, if any of you want to go into the cafe and get something to eat, you're more than welcome," said the teacher, clapping her hands together. "I'll give you guys twenty minutes." 

"Do you want to go and get something?" Joachim asked Motsi, and the south African beauty nodded, hungry even though she had had breakfast in Joachim's mum's car not that long ago. "Okay. Go on ahead, and I'll get Jorge." 

As soon as Motsi had climbed off the bus and was waiting down on the ground for them, Joachim leaned over and hissed "Jorge! Wake up!" 

"Are we at the river..?" Jorge stirred as Joachim prodded him in the arm, taking off his mask. 

"No, but.." 

"Fantastic. Now let me go back to sleep." 

"But we are at a service station! We have twenty minutes to go and buy food if we want to," Joachim told him quickly, before Jorge could fall asleep again. "And I think you, my friend, need a large coffee to get yourself going." He pulled Jorge up from his seat. "Come on, mate. Motsi is already off the bus. I'll buy you a coffee..?" 

"Deal," Jorge nodded, getting up from the seat and following his friend out of the bus.   
"Now, let's go get that coffee!!" 

.. 

"My feet are absolutely killing me," Jorge groaned, as he, Motsi and Joachim followed their classmates along the river, notepads in hand, rucksacks on their backs. "Why the hell couldn't we have driven?"

The trip so far hadn't been too awful, and some great entertainment had been provided when they were by a waterfall, sketching. Jorge somehow managed to fall into the water, stretching his foot out to get a piece of paper that had blown in, which made everyone laugh. 

"Honestly, mate, we can't go anywhere without you falling over or causing yourself some damage!" Joachim joked, helping the Cuban out of the water and handing him a blanket that he had thought to bring. "You sure you're okay?" 

"I'm fine," laughed Jorge, wrapping the blanket gratefully around himself. "Thanks, Joachim. I'm fine, guys!" 

"Fortunately it's quite warm. You should dry off quite quickly, Jorge," the teacher smiled at her student, as Motsi handed him a hat to put on. 

Now they were headed for the source of the river, and Joachim, who was sure that his feet were completely blistered, snorted, "oh, you know what school trips and teachers are like, Jorge! But I really hope that we can get to the source of the river soon, because I'm exhausted and I think my-" 

"Oh, shut up complaining, Llambi. You're so negative all the time and I'm sick to death of it!" Jason snapped from behind them. 

"Oh, and you're Mr Positive?!" Joachim snorted derisively. "Shut up yourself." 

"I'd be way more positive if I didn't have to see your face five days a week," Jason retorted, before storming off with Ashley and Craig, the latter of the three sending Joachim an apologetic look. "God, why couldn't you have picked history?" 

"I wish to high heaven that Craig didn't hang out with him," Joachim said to Jorge and Motsi in a rather high pitched voice, as they continued walking, upping their pace as their teacher called to them to get a move on, "but hey, it's not like we can do anything about it." 

They finally caught up to the others, and after what seemed like hours later, they arrived at the source of the river. Sitting down on some large Rocks, Joachim, Jorge and Motsi began to sketch the source as their teacher told them to, labelling their diagrams. 

"Now, guys, we'll do one more test and then we'll all start heading back to the bus," said their teacher, clapping her hands together. "I need a volunteer for this next one.. Jorge! How about you?" 

"Sure," Jorge shrugged, getting up from his rock. "What am I meant to be doing?" 

It soon became clear what he was being asked to do - get in the water and measure the cross section of the river. Joachim was asked to shout out the results to the rest of the group (and be close by to make sure Jorge didn't do himself any more damage), and Jonathan and Craig were asked to repeat what Jorge did afterwards, to make sure that their results were more reliable. 

"Now, for the love of God, Jorge, please don't slip over trying to get out," Joachim told his friend, grabbing his hand and pulling him over the slippery rocks. "I haven't got any more blankets!" 

Jorge managed to get out without any more mishaps, and after they checked that the results were reliable by sending Jonathan and Craig into the river, everyone began heading back to the minibus at long last, quite frankly exhausted. 

"When we get back to mine, I vote that we have some dinner and then go to bed," Joachim told his two friends, keeping a close eye on Jorge to make sure that he didn't fall over again. 

"That's a great idea!" Motsi nodded. "I-" there was a splash from behind her, "Joachim!" 

Jorge whipped around to see that Joachim had fallen into the water, scraping his knee on a rock quite badly, having lost his footing on a rock that he didn't realise was slippery. 

"Oh my God, Joachim! Are you okay?" Jorge tried hard to look concerned, but he couldn't stop himself from giggling just a little. 

From behind them, they suddenly heard raucous laughter, the sound of someone who was greatly enjoying the fact that Joachim had fallen over, and Jorge and Motsi didn't even have to turn around to know that it was Jason. 

"Look who's causing themselves damage now!" Jason practically screeched, as he walked by with Ashley. "Oh my god, look at him! He's about to cry! Wow, Joachim, be a man! You really are pathetic!" 

"Shut the fuck up!" Jorge roared, suddenly seeing red as he realised how ashamed and dangerously close to tears his best friend was. "Leave Joachim the fuck alone! Laugh at me if you want, because I honestly couldn't care less what people say about me, but leave Joachim alone, you little-" 

"Jorge! That is not the way I expect my students to behave. You are meant to be representing our school, not behaving in this way! I'll see you in detention on Monday evening, half past three," their teacher said with a very annoyed expression, walking over to them, and Jason immediately walked ahead with Ashley, not wanting to be there a second longer. He knew that his parents would kill him if he got detention. 

"I'm sorry, Miss, but Jason here was making fun of my best friend for falling over," Jorge blazed, as Motsi helped Joachim up and made sure that he was okay. 

"I know, Jorge, but that's no reason to start screaming and using that kind of language! I will be speaking to Jason too, but I still will be seeing you in detention on Monday," the teacher replied, before walking ahead with the rest of the group, leaving Joachim still upset and Motsi and Jorge both fuming. 

"Thanks, Jorge.." Joachim muttered, wiping away the tears that had formed in his eyes. "I'm sorry.." 

"Good heavens, Joachim, you don't need to apologise! Jason does. I'm not having anyone, least of all Jason Gardiner, speak to one of my best friends like that!" Jorge's eyes flashed as he put an arm round his friend. "And I don't actually care about going to detention, because at least I'm going with the knowledge that I stood up for you against him! I'm not having it. I laugh things like that off easily, I couldn't give a damn what people think of me and I mean that, but I know you care a lot more what people think of you and I'm not having anyone treat you like that!" 

"Are you sure you're okay, Joachim...?" Motsi asked the German-Spaniard, who nodded, though he still felt mightily embarrassed. "Your leg alright?" 

"I'll live," Joachim muttered again. "Thanks, guys." 

"You're more than welcome. Standing up to Jason was the least I could do for my best friend," replied Jorge, as they neared the bus, more than ready to leave. "Do you have any spare clothes?" 

"I did bring some, yes, but they're all wet now," said Joachim rather sadly. "I'm just glad I gave my phone to Motsi to put in her bag." 

"Well, I know we don't have the same style, and I know I'm several inches taller than you, but I bought some spare clothes," said Jorge, pulling a pair of leopard print trousers and a plain, dark blue t-shirt out of his bag. "If you want to wear them, then.." 

"Thanks, Jorge," Joachim smiled gratefully. "I'll ask if I can go and change right now." 

Joachim felt more than a little awkward stepping out of the bathroom a few moments later in leopard print trousers that were too big for him and not in the slightest his style, and when Jason snorted as he walked past him with Motsi and Jorge to find their seats on the bus, he felt even more embarrassed. Jorge knew exactly how embarrassed he felt - he loved clothes that were colourful, patterned, and altogether out there, but he knew that Joachim had a much more conservative and simple style, and that he didn't feel particularly comfortable in what Jorge had given him to wear. The Cuban didn't go as mental as he had a few moments ago, for he didn't want double detention, but with flashing eyes he hissed, "shut up. You've done enough damage today," and walked Joachim quickly past the Australian, to their seats several rows back. 

"I really wish that Craig didn't have to be friends with him," Joachim sighed, as he sat down next to Jorge, Motsi opposite them once again. 

"Same," Jorge fastened his seatbelt, "I just don't get why he wants to be friends with someone who insults everyone the way Jason does? And I mean... Joachim, sometimes I have thought that you've been a little too harsh on Jason. But today.. that was entirely him, and there was no need to make fun of you." 

"Exactly. You know I like to give everyone a chance, but Jason is just intolerable," Motsi chimed in, as the bus began to move. "And today.. I'm really angry about what he did to you, Joachim. There was no need for it. And I think that if you're going to get detention for shouting at him, Jorge, he should get detention as well." 

"To be honest, giving me detention was fair, chica," Jorge laughed, "I probably shouldnt have started swearing, but I was just so angry at Jason. Whenever either of you gets hurt by someone I just want to protect you and tell off whoever hurt you, and that's what happened when Jason started laughing at Joachim." 

He paused for a moment. 

"Either way, I hope as well that Jason gets detention." 

.. 

"Joachim, what are you doing in Jorge's trousers?" 

"He fell into the water," Jorge explained, speaking before Joachim could. "I fell into the water as well, though not at the same time, but I did it quite early on in the day. Joachim fell in on the way back to the bus, so I gave him some of my clothes to wear." 

"Thank you, Jorge," Veronica smiled. "Shall we get home? I bet you're all exhausted." 

"You can say that again," Motsi laughed, following her friends to the car. "We're definitely going to bed early tonight." 

"Well, I'll make your dinner for you when we get home," Veronica replied, "how about gazpacho and chicken salad..?" 

"Por favor!" Jorge cried - the famous cold tomato soup known as gazpacho was one of his favourite dishes. 

"Sounds good," Motsi and Joachim said together, with a laugh. 

On arrival home, Joachim immediately went to shower to feel warmer and change into something he felt more comfortable in, before handing Jorge's clothes back to him. 

"Thank you so much," he thanked the Cuban. "I'm sorry I looked so awkward wearing them." 

"Hey, my friend, don't apologise! I know I have a very marmite style - you're either going to love what I wear or hate it. And it's not what you feel comfortable wearing, and I'm not offended by that," Jorge replied, his feet soaking in a bowl of warm water. 

"Joachim, have I ever told you the story of the first time that I tried marmite?" Motsi, who was also soaking her feet, asked, and Joachim shook his head. "Basically, I was round at Jorge's about a month after we arrived in the UK, and I thought that the marmite sitting on the table was chocolate spread." 

Jorge laughed out loud at the memory. "I wish I'd taken a photo of her face!" 

"I can see why you did that," Joachim chuckled. "Easy mistake to make!" 

At that moment, Joachim's mum called the trio down to dinner, and they rushed down the stairs, starving hungry after what had been a 7km walk according to the teachers. 

And as they ate their soup and salad, and then curled up in their beds and watched a movie before falling asleep before 9pm, Joachim couldn't stop thinking about how lucky he was to have the most amazing friends in Jorge Gonzalez and Motsi Mabuse.


	10. a little confidence

"Are you worried about mocks?" Craig asked Jason, as the two of them sat together on the penultimate Saturday in November, revising. 

The Horwoods and the Gardiners weren't having dinner together tonight, but Jason and Craig had agreed to meet at Jason's to revise for the day, in preparation for the two weeks of mocks they faced in December. Currently, they were sitting at the table in the conservatory, working hard - Jason on some Spanish, and Craig on English literature. 

It was almost two weeks after Craig had given Jason that birthday present, and the two of them were getting on so much better. Jason was being much nicer, at least to him, and was actually starting to show a different side to him, which Craig absolutely loved. Nothing had changed between Jason and Joachim- they were as cold as ever towards one another - but that was totally expected. 

After the events of the geography field trip, Jorge had been quite cold towards Craig, annoyed that he could be friends with someone who treated Joachim the way that Jason did. They had had an argument a few days ago, where Jorge had said a few things he regretted- but they were friends now, though Jorge was still slightly off, and Joachim wasn't happy at all. Motsi wasn't particularly happy either, but she acted the same as ever, not wanting her friendship with Craig to end over another person. 

"He acts that way because of something that happened to him in his past," Craig had attempted to fight Jason's corner during the argument. 

"Oh yeah? So just because something happened to him in his past, it's absolutely fine to go round making fun of people, is it?" Jorge retorted, not buying it. "I'm sorry, Craig, I really wish you didn't have anything to do with that boy." 

"I'm nervous, yes," replied Jason, highlighting the question he had just written down with a purple highlighter. "But then again, I always am for exams - I put a lot of pressure on myself to do well, even if people don't always realise that." 

"I'm terrified," Craig admitted, writing out yet another flashcard in his best writing. "I just don't feel like I'll ever be ready." 

"Hey, you will be. You've been working really hard recently and it's bound to pay off," Jason reassured him. "And plus, these exams are just a practice. If you fuck up this time, you'll know where to work for our second set in March and the real ones in May and June, won't you..?" 

"That's a fair point actually," Craig nodded, realising Jason spoke the truth.

"You're a lot better than you give yourself credit for, you know," Jason told him, with a small smile, as he began to write a new paragraph of the Spanish essay that he had started as practice for their written exam. "You're actually really intelligent, but never give yourself the credit you deserve." 

"Thanks, Jason," Craig replied, deeply touched by his words. "We all know how intelligent you are." 

"Yeah, and it's so annoying! All I ever get from my teachers are lectures on how I should be a little more like my older brother!" Jamie came walking in in his football gear, ready to go out and play in a match with his team. His parents were going with him, but Jason was staying at home, partly because he needed to revise, and partly because he despised football. The few matches he had been forced to go to with his parents had bored him to tears, and he always tried to avoid them wherever possible. 

"Well, maybe if you actually got your head down and seriously started working, the comparisons would stop," Jason replied, simply, tapping his pen on the tabletop. "You're intelligent, little bro - you just don't apply yourself enough." 

"I swear, if you weren't my brother, I wouldn't get half the complaints I get from my teachers," Jamie laughed, "I'm just compared to someone who is extremely intelligent, insanely productive, and knows exactly what they're doing, because we happen to be related. Anyway, I need to get going. Laters," and with that he left the room and headed to the car, his parents quickly following him after saying a hasty goodbye to both Jason and Craig. 

"He really is more intelligent than he acts like he is. Jamie, I mean," Jason told Craig, as they got back to working, being the only ones left in the house now. "He just doesn't try hard enough. If he really worked hard he could be getting the same grades as me." He turned to Craig. "Hey, are you going on the school trip next week?" 

Craig nodded. After their trip to the river for geography, the whole school were going on a trip on Friday to a science museum and aquarium. Craig was greatly looking forward to it, and to what was happening afterwards - after the party, he, Jonathan, Jorge and Motsi were all going back to Joachim's house to celebrate the German- Spaniard's birthday and sleep over. 

"Me too. Ashley's coming as well, which is lovely - I'm loving having him at the same school as us," Jason smiled, pen flying across the page. "It should be fun." He stopped writing for a moment and turned to look at Craig once more. "Hey, Craig, would it be all right if Ashley came over to revise with us this afternoon?" 

Craig admittedly wasn't thrilled at the prospect, because he knew that Ashley was an easily distracted individual and didn't care about his work as much as Craig and Jason did. But he didn't feel as though he could say no, seeing as Ashley was Jason's best friend, so instead he replied, "yes, of course he can." 

"Great! I'll let him know," Jason grinned, getting out his phone for the first time since they started revising and typing out a message to his friend. "Hopefully he'll actually come, rather than just hang around with Perri all day." 

"Perri?" Craig's eyebrows furrowed. 

"Perri is one of Ashley's friends, a couple of years older than him. They're both very much into dancing and hang out a lot outside of school," explained Jason, pushing his paper aside. "I don't really hang out with him much though, because we really have nothing in common. We couldn't be more different from one another, trust me." 

"But you both dance.. right?" 

"Yeah, we both dance or have danced at some point, but that's about the only thing we could ever speak about. And we don't even do the same style. Perri and Ashley are street dancers.. I was never a street dancer." 

"What were you..?" 

"A ballet dancer, if you must know. I know boys get a lot of shit and get told they can't be ballet dancers because it's for girls, but I loved every second of it." 

"I bet you were wonderful." 

Jason snorted, and his phone beeped so he picked it up quickly and read the text that had just come through. "I really wasn't, but it's nice that you think that about me." 

AshleyDiversity 🕺: sure Jase, I'll be over at 2 

"He's coming over at around 2," Jason repeated the content of the message to Craig. "Ashley's similar to Jamie - he is so intelligent, but just doesn't apply himself. He would rather be out with his friends and dancing and enjoying himself than getting grades, and it's annoying to see how he just doesn't put in the effort because he really does have the potential to be a fantastic student. To be honest though.. Perri and his other friends aren't the best influence. They're older than him and left school with only a handful of gcses between them. They never did a levels." 

"That's a shame." 

"It is. And to be honest.. I really hope he realises his true potential before it's too late. Now, shall we get back to revising..?" 

Ashley arrived at 2 on the dot, straight from dancing, looking incredibly demotivated. And all through that afternoon, Craig realised just how distracted and how little effort Ashley really did put into his work. He kept checking his phone every five minutes, checking the time.. and whilst Craig and Jason actually got quite a lot of work done, Ashley accomplished barely anything that afternoon.

"Ashley, is there any chance you could put your phone away?" Jason sighed, after his phone buzzed for about the fifteenth time in an hour, driving him and Craig absolutely mental. "Are you talking to Perri by any chance?" 

"Yeah.." Ashley said, looking confused as to why Jason was asking him that. 

"Well, tell him you're revising and you can't talk right now," Jason said, sternly. "No, I actually mean it, Ashley. Tell him you're revising." He sighed. "Look, Ash.. I don't want to lecture you, but the point is... you'll never get a decent pass in your subjects if you're not concentrating. Just tell him that you'll talk later.. there's plenty of time to talk to him after we've done this revision." 

Sighing, Ashley nodded, typed out a final message to his group of friends collectively known as the Diversity Lads, then turned off his phone. 

"Now, get on with that sheet," Jason said firmly, but kindly at the same time. 

Ashley nodded and lowered his head, getting on with the sheet that he had been working on, working on it for ten minutes with no distractions before he looked up and announced, "I've finished." 

"You know, I think that must be the fastest you've ever completed something!" Jason smiled at his best friend. "Well done!" 

Ashley grinned, and when Jason asked to check it, he handed it over to him, feeling rather relieved as he saw that Jason was reading through it with a smile on his face. 

"Very good," Jason said at last, having read through it completely. "See what I meant when I said that you'd be much better off doing revision with your phone off? I kept saying that because it's true, not because I actually enjoy sounding like a stuck record." 

Ashley smiled at the praise from his best friend. "You're right, Jase. I should listen to you more often." 

"You should always listen to your brother from another mother," responded Jason, laughing, as Ashley got to work on another piece of work, more in the zone now his phone was switched off. "You know why..?" 

"Why..?" 

"Because I'm always right." 

.. 

"I seriously hate maths... have I ever said that?" Jorge groaned, as he compared the answers on the mark scheme with his own answers and realised he had answered only two out of ten correctly. 

"Only about 6,420 times since we became friends," Joachim replied sarcastically. He and Motsi had come over today for one of their regular sleepovers and they had decided to dedicate the afternoon and early evening to revising for their upcoming mocks together, motivating one another. "But I have to agree with you. Why do I need to know what an isosceles triangle is?" 

"It's not going to help me in my life. I'm not going to get asked what the hell Pythagoras is when I'm a fashion designer," sighed Jorge, as he slumped further down in his seat, feeling completely demotivated to learn anything more about maths. 

"Yes, but Jorge, in the small chance that you don't become the next Vivienne Westwood, you'll need something to fall back on!" Alejandro put his head round the door, and Jorge sighed "sí papa, voy a repasar aunque no me gustan las matemáticas en absoluto." 

"You know what?" Motsi snapped her book shut a few moments later, her brain unable to focus on all these different formulas a moment longer. "I vote that we take Paco for a walk, then come back, do another hour of revision, and then call it a day." 

"I like that idea," Joachim agreed, jumping up from the chair and tidying up everything he had been using during their study session. "Jorge..?" 

Jorge didn't even need to be asked twice, pulling on his leather jacket and calling Paco in to have his lead put on. Saying goodbye to Jorge's parents, the three of them headed out the door and began to walk to the dog park near to Jorge's home where he took Paco almost every evening. 

"I know it's a while away yet, but guys.. what are you doing on New Year..?" Joachim asked his two friends, as Paco bounded ahead of them. "Because I was wondering if you would want to come and stay at mine..? My parents are going to this massive party, but I really don't want to go.. I'll just be on my own in the corner all night. So I was wondering if maybe you wanted to come over to mine, and we could play games and that kind of thing..? If you don't want to it's-" 

"Joachim, slow down," Jorge laughed. "That sounds great! My family don't really celebrate New Year, and I come home from Cuba on the 29th, so that sounds good to me. I'm sure my parents will be fine with it." 

"And my mum will be fine with it too! Just us three..?" 

"Yep! Apparently Craig and Jonathan are seeing in the New Year together at a Horwood family party, so it'll just be us three," Joachim confirmed. "Great! We should have a big Mario Kart competition.." 

"Oh yeah, so you can win every game," laughed Jorge, rolling his eyes as he threw Paco a tennis ball to fetch. "How about a Just Dance challenge..?" 

"Sure," Joachim nodded casually, "but get ready for me to beat you at every single one. I'll just warn you now, you two - I have mastered every single routine on there. The joys of being an only child and having all the free time to perfect those routines." 

"We'll see about that, Joachim Llambi," laughed Jorge, throwing the tennis ball for Paco once more. "We'll see about that." 

After playing in the park for a while with Paco, the little dog extremely happy as all three friends threw the ball for him, Joachim, Jorge and Motsi headed home. Upon arrival back at Jorge's house, they made their way back into the conservatory, where they had set up all of their study stuff earlier that day. 

"Right, before we go and chill out for the evening.. Motsi, why don't you read us your Spanish photo presentation, get some practice in..?" Jorge suggested, getting out his Spanish writing book, where he had written his own presentation. 

For the first part of their spoken Spanish exam, they had to prepare a one minute presentation about a photo of their choice. Jorge had chosen one of him and his family in Cuba, where they were having dinner in a restaurant overlooking the beach. Joachim had chosen one from a holiday to France two years ago, and Motsi had selected one of her with the two of them, on last year's residential trip to Spain for a skiing trip. They had gone to a ski resort and whilst Motsi had hated the skiing and the heights, she had had a great holiday with her best friends and couldn't wait for the end of year residential trip this year as well. 

"It's not very good, but okay," Motsi nodded, flipping to the page in her book where she had written the presentation in her beautifully neat handwriting. "I think I need to write it again and do lots more editing before I hand it into Mrs Kelly." 

They had two Spanish teachers at the school - Mrs Kelly and Mr Frieling. Mr Frieling, who was actually German but had trained to become a Spanish teacher, was a favourite with everyone because he was quite lenient and wasn't too harsh on people if they forgot their homework. Joachim, however, didn't like him at all on account of an incident that had happened a few weeks after he arrived at the school. They were in class, and he had leaned over in class to help Motsi with her work as she was finding it difficult. Joachim had tried to explain just that when he was caught, but Mr Frieling had sent him out the class and given him detention for talking in class. Since that day Joachim had not liked the teacher at all, and was glad when he was put into Mrs Kelly's class for Spanish. 

Mrs Kelly wasn't as lenient as Mr Frieling - she was much stricter and didn't award high grades easily - but she was most definitely the one who got the better results out of her students. She was originally from Ireland, but had trained to become a Spanish teacher like Mr Frieling. What everyone really liked about Mrs Kelly was that she was very appreciative of a joke and had a great sense of humour, and always had great stories to tell about herself and her larger than life family, but she didn't let it get too out of hand and always made sure that her students produced a high quality of work. 

"Go on then!" Jorge shot his friend an encouraging smile. 

"Umm.. okay." Motsi swallowed before beginning to read what was on her paper. 

This photo was taken last year, when I went with my school on a trip to Spain. It was taken when we all went skiing at the most famous ski resort in the country, and in this photo, I am with my two best friends. In the photo, you can see we are all wearing winter clothes, although it was very hot when we went! You can also see the mountains in the background, and lots of people - the day that we went, there were lots of people there. The resort is very popular especially in spring. This is one of my favourite photos of my friends and me and I had the best time on this trip. 

She read the piece in a very hesitant tone, stumbling over several words, even though she was in the company of her two completely non-judgmental best friends. When she came to the end, both Joachim and Jorge stood up and clapped like she had just danced perfectly in front of them, and Jorge cried, "chica! You can speak Spanish! You just need a little confidence, that's all!" 

"It's so hard to be confident when I'm not very good at something," Motsi sighed, though she blushed at the praise of her friends. 

"Motsi," Joachim said in a firm tone of voice, "You seriously need to stop putting yourself down constantly. You're so much better than you believe you are, and I'm not just saying that because you're my best friend, I'm saying it because it's true. You just, as Jorge says, need more confidence." 

"The only mistake I noticed in that," Jorge told her, "was at the very beginning. If you're looking for the word for taken.. you could use sacada." 

"I'll write it in," Motsi smiled, neatly writing in the word Jorge had given her. "Thanks." 

"But seriously, Motsi, all you need is a little confidence. You don't need to be shy about speaking - because you can do it. You really can do it." 

"Thank you so much, guys," Motsi beamed at her two friends. "Thank you so much for supporting me always." 

"You're more than welcome, Motsi. We'll always be there to support you," Jorge told her, with a smile. "We're three very different people with different ambitions - I want to be a fashion designer, Joachim is undecided, and Motsi wants to perform. But you know what..?" 

"What?"

"We'll always be there for each other, no matter where life takes us."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter!! Next chapter: trip to science museum, and Joachim's birthday! 
> 
> Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!! I will hopefully update again this weekend❤
> 
> Love you all!! Thank you so much for the amazing support!!! I'm truly loving writing this story and I hope you're loving reading it ❤❤


	11. shot glasses

"Good morning, chica!" Jorge cried, stepping out of the car in zebra-print trousers and the school top on the morning of their visit to the science museum and running over to where Motsi was waiting. They had been told to wear the school uniform, but they had been allowed to wear whatever bottoms they wanted, so Jorge had chosen zebra-print. 

"Morning! Jorge.." Motsi eyed Jorge up and down, "do you really need all that stuff..?" 

"Of course I do!" Jorge nodded at his bulging sleepover bag, which was to be put in Joachim's car as soon as the German-Spaniard arrived. "You never know when these things might come in handy.." 

"Jorge, you're completely and utterly mad, but this is why I love you," Motsi rolled her eyes at her friend, and Jorge laughed, placing the bag down on the floor as he watched out for Joachim's mum's car. "Is that Joachim now..?" 

"It sure is," Jorge replied, grunting as he heaved his bag up onto his shoulders not a second after he had put it down. He made his way with Motsi over to where Joachim was just getting out the car, his mum having driven him this morning. 

"Morning, Veronica! Here's my bag," Jorge turned around to show Joachim's mum the bag that he had brought, before putting it into the boot of the car. "I may have packed a little too much.. but you never know when things might come in handy.." 

"Oh, for the love of god, Jorge," Joachim rolled his eyes as he saw the extremely heavy bag. "What on earth have you brought with you this time?" 

"Clothes, hair gel, shampoo, conditioner, your birthday present, a pillow, my hair straighteners, eyeliner, a packet of 50 balloons, fairy lights, snacks, and Paco," Jorge reeled off. 

"You bought your dog in that bag?" Veronica looked horrified. 

"No, oh my god! Not my real dog - I have a plushie that looks exactly like Paco, which I also call Paco," Jorge explained as he started laughing, and his friends joined in. "I would never stuff the love of my life in a bag with 50 million other things!" 

"Wow, Mum!" Joachim laughed, helping Motsi put her own bag into the boot. "I can't believe you actually thought Jorge would do something like that!" 

"Easy mistake to make!" 

After saying goodbye to Veronica and telling her to pick them up at around 7.30, still laughing, the three friends headed over to the rest of the students going on the trip. Mr Frieling was standing in front of everyone, sounding extremely cheerful as he told everyone what they should and shouldn't do now that they were going to be out representing the school. 

"How the hell can he be this positive in the morning?" Joachim hissed, and Motsi and Jorge both shrugged.

"I have no idea. I cannot relate," Jorge hissed back. 

"I swear to god, if he makes us all sing Eighty Seven Green Bottles Hanging On The Wall again like he did when we went to the zoo last year, I will walk to our destination." 

"Joachim! Are you listening to what I'm saying?" Mr Frieling suddenly called, looking over at the friends with a slightly annoyed expression. 

"Yes, Mr Frieling!" Joachim called back politely, but as soon as he had turned to talk to one of the year 8s, who was worried they might be bus sick, he muttered under his breath, "unfortunately." 

A few minutes later they were all able to get onto the bus, ready for the two hour drive to the science museum. Heading to the back of the bus, but not to the very back as they knew that those seats were in popular demand anyway, Joachim, Jorge and Motsi managed to sit across from one another. They had already planned over video call the night before that Joachim and Motsi would sit together on the way there and Jorge and Motsi on the way back, to make it fair. 

"Hey, Jorge, would it be okay if I sat beside you..?" Jonathan suddenly approached them, just before the bus began to move a few moments later. 

"You don't even need to ask that, Jonathan! You're my friend... Of course you can," replied Jorge, patting the place next to him, "but.. why aren't you sitting with Craig..?" 

"He chose to sit with Jason and Ashley instead," Jonathan sighed, flopping down in the chair and putting on his belt. "He promised he'll sit with me on the way back, but he said that Jason asked to sit with him on the way there, and what could I do..?"

"I'm not even going to comment.. I think you know my feelings on that arrangement," Jorge replied, taking out his phone and his earphones. "Right, I'm going to sleep, and if Mr Frieling starts singing, don't wake me up." 

"If he starts singing, I'm pretending to go to sleep," Joachim replied dryly, taking out his book, the autobiography of a famous golfer, and beginning to read. 

The first hour was relatively quiet- most people were either listening to music, reading or just chatting with their friends. Some people were sharing snacks, even though the teachers had told them they weren't allowed to eat on the bus, and others were making funny Snapchat or Tik Tok videos with their friends. 

Or, if their name was Jorge Gonzalez, they were sleeping. 

"I'm honestly jealous of Jorge's ability to sleep on buses," Joachim said to Motsi, who was reading a book. "I can never fall asleep on buses, no matter how hard I try." 

"I can fall asleep on buses, but I'm not tired right now.. I'll probably sleep on the way back, as I doubt we'll get much sleep tonight," Motsi laughed. "Are we still on for mini golf tomorrow..?" 

Joachim nodded. "We sure are! And I can't wait to beat you all, just like I did at Mario Kart and will at Just Dance." 

"Keep telling yourself that, Joachim. Keep telling yourself that," Motsi laughed as she reclined back in her chair. "I might beat you, or Jorge might. Or who knows.. Craig and Jonathan might be secret golf experts.." 

"Oh, we'll see about that, Motsi. We'll see about that." 

"Okay, who's up for a sing song?" called someone from down the other end of the bus, and immediately, fast as lightning, Joachim thrust his coat over his head and acted as though he was asleep. 

"Any suggestions..?" 

"Yeah.. the sweet, sweet sound of silence," Joachim muttered, speaking loud enough for only Motsi to hear. "Please." 

"What a great idea, Thomas! We'll sing The Wheels on the Bus," Mr Frieling announced to everyone, and as everyone began to join in the singing, Joachim pulled his coat further over his head and groaned loudly. 

This was going to be a long second half of the coach journey. 

..

"That was actually really interesting," Jorge said to his friends as they headed back to the entrance of the museum together after a very pleasant morning, not wanting to be late to meet the others. They had been allowed some free time, the older students, with strict instructions to meet at the entrance at 1pm to travel over to the aquarium. 

"And I, as you know, am not a science person." 

"The optical illusions are fascinating!" Joachim agreed - it was him, Jorge and Motsi walking around together this morning. Craig and Jonathan had been walking with them initially, but Jonathan wanted to spend ages at each different thing so was behind so as not to hold his friends up. 

Jorge especially was really annoyed at Craig for leaving Jonathan alone this morning and sitting with Jason on the coach, but he hadn't said anything to him because not only was it meant to be Joachim's birthday weekend and therefore a happy occasion, but he was also really quite fond of Craig and he didn't want to completely ruin the wonderful friendship that they had. 

"And so were those mirrors that made us look much taller or much smaller.. those kind of things are so clever." 

"They really are," Motsi nodded. "I've never seen myself look so tall! I was still so much shorter than Jorge, though." She glanced up at her much taller friend, who laughed. Jorge was several inches taller than Motsi, and when he wore shoes with heels (which was a lot of the time), he was even taller than her. "I think I'm more excited for the aquarium though!" 

"Same here," replied Jorge, "same here, chica." 

Arriving at the entrance, Mr Frieling and Mrs Kelly were already waiting there with quite a few other students. It only took a few moments for all the other students to come back to where they had been told to meet, and after a head count performed by Mr Frieling, they all began to walk over to the aquarium, a fifteen minute walk away. 

"Oti and Phemelo were so jealous that I get to go to an aquarium," Motsi told her friends as they walked together. "They asked me if they could come, and looked so upset when I had to say no. I promised them that I'd buy them a present in the gift shop, though, which massively cheered them up." 

"What do you think you'll buy them?" 

"I honestly don't know. Maybe a plushie of some sort...?" Motsi wondered. "Either way, we shall see when we get there." 

Upon arrival at the aquarium, everyone sat down on the floor at the entrance to eat their lunches whilst the teachers went to get the tickets and sort everything out. Jorge, Motsi, Joachim, Craig and Jonathan made a little circle on the floor together and began to eat their lunch, chatting as they did so. 

"What are we doing when we get home to yours tonight, Joachim..?" Craig questioned, looking over at Jason secretly, so that nobody else would pick up on it. Jason was sitting against the wall next to Ashley, eating what appeared to be a sandwich, smiling as the two of them chatted about something or other. 

"My mum will have food ready for us - and before you ask, it's a surprise and even I don't know what she's making - and then I thought we could watch some movies and get some sleep ahead of our mini golf game tomorrow," Joachim replied, munching his chicken roll. "Because you'll all need to be well-rested if you want any chance of beating me." 

"Yeah... dream on, Joachim. We all know I'm going to win," Jorge teased, taking a bag of crisps out of his lunchbox. 

"Oh yeah, of course you are," Joachim said sarcastically, before laughing and changing the subject. "I've got a few movies that you might like that we can watch tonight. No scary movies though, because I know that you don't like them much, Jonathan." 

"That's right, I hate scary movies." The Leicester-born nodded. 

"Motsi, Jorge and I had a sufficiently scary movie marathon at Halloween with all of the Insidious movies and Orphan. The shortlist of films I've picked for this weekend are family friendly (mostly), don't contain much violence, and are not horror in genre." 

Craig gasped. "Orphan is so fucking scary!" 

Joachim nodded in agreement. "The plot twist was what got me - I never saw it coming and usually, I'm quite good at picking up on potential plot twists. Definitely one of the most creepy movies I think I've ever watched in my time." 

"That movie literally traumatised me," replied the Australian, "as did the Babadook. The thing about that one is.. it's more sad than actually scary, but only when you realise what something in it is meant to represent. It's hard to explain without giving the plot away, but once you realise what something is meant to represent, then you'll find it more sad than you do scary. Though maybe that's just me."

"I'll definitely make sure to give that one a go at some point. Maybe at Christmas, when Jorge is in Cuba and everyone is spending time with their family. Thanks for the recommendation, Craig." 

"You're welcome," Craig nodded at him, before beginning on the chocolate brownie he had made and wrapped up to take to the trip today. 

As soon as everyone was finished with their lunch, they were all given their wristbands to wear, and then the older students were given permission to go off by themselves in little groups, meaning that Craig, Jorge, Motsi, Joachim and Jonathan all headed off together to look around. 

"What are your favourite animals..?" Joachim asked as they walked in. 

"Well, dogs are my favourite, but I quite like-" 

"Jorge," Joachim laughed, "I meant animals you can find in an aquarium." 

"Oh, sorry! You should have been more specific, Joachim! Definitely penguins- they highly amuse me," replied Jorge. "What about you guys?" 

Motsi's favourites were otters, but she said her sisters loved dolphins, and Craig turned out to love seals. Jonathan's favourite were penguins as well, and Motsi let out a gasp when Joachim revealed his favourite were sharks. 

"But Joachim! How can you like sharks?! They're terrifying!" 

"They're really not!" 

"And they kill people!" 

"Actually, Motsi, you're more likely to die from a dog, horse or cow," Joachim replied with a laugh. "Paco is more likely to kill you than some shark." 

"Do not fear, the only things Paco have ever killed are insects," laughed Jorge, as they approached a tunnel. "Oh my god, there are sharks swimming all around us." 

"I'm sorry, I'm not going in there," Motsi replied, firmly, as Joachim began to head inside the tunnel. "It's not happening." 

"Come on, Motsi! They're truly not that bad," Joachim called. "You'll be fine." 

"Hey, my chica.. how about we walk together..?" Jorge suggested, putting his arm round his friend. "If you like, you can close your eyes and I'll walk with you through it.. I'll make sure you get out the other side safely, I promise." 

Motsi agreed to that idea, and Jorge put his hands on her shoulders and marched her through the tunnel at top speed as she closed her eyes. When a couple of people came walking by and looked at her with judgemental expressions, Jorge glared at them and steered his friend past them. Before long, they were out the other side, the first of the friends to reach the other side, and Jorge gave Motsi a hug before sitting down on the bench to wait for the other three. 

"Sorry about that," Motsi said softly, as they waited. 

"Motsi, one of these days, you and Joachim are going to learn that you never need to apologise to me for being scared or upset," replied Jorge, with a soft chuckle. "I'm your friend, and you don't have to apologise to me for being scared. We all have things we don't like and are scared of - don't you remember when I was terrified of the heights last year when we went skiing..?" 

Motsi nodded, remembering how terrified Jorge had been as they went up in the ski lift, and how emotional he had become, which was unusual for him. Jorge was such a happy and cheerful person, it was rare that anyone saw him cry, and the few times that Motsi had seen him cry, it had near broken her heart. The day had ended on a positive note though, with them all having snowball fights, and then going out for a walk around the city later that evening all together. 

"You can go back in there and get the full experience if you like." 

"You know something? I don't actually like sharks that much anyway," replied Jorge, as the others came out the tunnel as well, Joachim waxing lyrical over how fantastic his experience was. "Joachim's a bit weird in that way, if you ask me."

Motsi giggled as the two of them walked over to the others, and began to head towards some of the other animals, glad she had such a supportive friend in Jorge. 

.. 

"Craig! Come and sit with me!" 

It was Jason, who was sitting alone, Ashley in the seats across from him talking to another boy who had expressed an interest in street dance. 

"Of course! Jonno.. would it be all right if I sat with Jason on the way back..?" Craig turned to his boyfriend. 

Jonathan's face fell. "But Craig.. I thought we were sitting together." 

"I know, but Jonno, we can sit together later when we go to the party, can't we?" Craig replied, not seeing the genuine hurt in his boyfriend's eyes. "Next trip we do, I promise you we'll sit together." 

"Okay. That's fine...see you back at school," Jonathan nodded, and walked to the back of the bus, Craig oblivious to the fact that his friends were shooting him the dirtiest looks for the decision that he had just made. Particularly Jorge, who was still glaring as they walked to the back of the bus again. 

"You can sit with me, if you like," Joachim said to Jonathan, with a smile. 

"That would be great," Jonathan nodded sadly, sitting down next to him, wondering just what it was about Jason Gardiner that made Craig want to spend more time with him rather than Jonathan, his boyfriend. He knew that maybe he was being a little bit silly, being upset because Craig wouldn't be sitting beside him for the next 2 hours, but he couldn't help but feel hurt that he had been ditched twice in a day. 

Unfortunately, they couldn't sit across from Jorge and Motsi, as the seats were taken, instead ending up a few rows in front.

"What did you end up getting your sisters, chica..?" Jorge asked Motsi, as the bus began to drive back to the school. 

"I got them both dolphin plushies, because you know they love dolphins, and I got my mum a mug," replied Motsi, showing Jorge her purchases. "What did you buy?" 

"I got my parents mugs as well," Jorge chuckled, "and I got my brother an orca plushie. That's his Christmas present sorted. You know, I'm so excited for him to come over in a couple of weeks.. he'll be coming to the choir concert, and I'm very excited about that." 

"That's great news! My mum and sisters are coming as they always do," Motsi smiled fondly. "So are you flying to Cuba with your brother and parents the day after we break up from school..?" 

"Yes! And then we get back in time for New Year, so I'll still be able to spend New Year with you and Joachim, which is great." 

"I'm so excited for that!" 

"Me too, me too. It will be fantastic!" 

The rest of the coach journey went smoothly, and at one point, Motsi dropped off to sleep, her head resting on her friend's shoulder, who was also sleeping. They even slept through Mr Frieling trying to get everyone singing once more, which made Joachim grit his teeth and pretend to be asleep again. Jorge was the first to wake up, and he woke up about ten minutes before the coach arrived back at the school, feeling slightly more rested, after a very long day of walking, and he shook Motsi awake. 

"We're almost back," he whispered in her ear, as she opened her eyes. "You might want to put your coat on.. it looks freezing outside." 

As soon as the coach stopped outside their school, Jorge and Motsi unbuckled their seatbelts and began to make their way down the aisle, Motsi putting on her coat as she did so. Once off the coach, they met up with Joachim, Jonathan and Craig, the latter of whom was waving at Jason, saying that they would see each other on Monday night to do revision. 

"Jonno.. are you okay?" Craig questioned his boyfriend, as Jorge went over to the teacher to say that he, Joachim, Motsi, Craig and Jonathan were all being picked up by the same people and that those people were waiting for them. He couldn't help but notice that Jonathan was looking very sad, and he wondered why he was feeling that way - he hated it when the boy he loved so much was sad. 

Jonathan paused for a moment before answering. "Yeah.. I'm fine." 

"Are you sure..?" Craig asked. "You look sad." 

"I'm fine, honestly," Jonathan tried to smile, though inside he still felt deeply hurt that Craig had preferred Jason's company over his. "I'm just tired." 

"I'm glad you're not sad," Craig smiled and squeezed his hand sweetly as they began to head over to the car with their stuff after having said goodbye to their teachers. "I hate it when you're sad. Didn't you manage to get any sleep on the bus..?" 

"No, I did online sudoku puzzles and talked a bit to Joachim," replied Jonathan, cheering up a little bit now that his boyfriend was giving him his undivided attention. 

"You and your sudoku puzzles," Craig laughed, but fondly. "Now come on, let's catch up to the others!" 

"Hi, guys! Good day?" Veronica asked, as the five friends reached the two cars that had been brought. Because of there only being five seats, they had arranged it that Joachim and Jorge and Motsi could go in one car and Craig and Jonathan in another. She would drive one and Markus, Joachim's dad, would drive the other. 

"Lovely, thank you!" Joachim nodded, and his friends agreed. 

Getting into the cars and fastening their seatbelts, Veronica led the way with Markus following behind them. And as they drove along the roads to get to the Llambis house, Joachim couldn't help but feel excited. 

This was where his birthday celebrations really began. 

.. 

Upon arrival home, Joachim gasped to see how the house had transformed since he left that morning. Balloons were hanging up in the lounge, including one helium one that had "Happy 16th Birthday Joachim!" written on it. There were five mattresses set up on the floor - Joachim's mum had suggested that everyone could sleep in the lounge, because his room was slightly too small to have four other people sleeping in it beside himself. And then, on the long table on the opposite side of the room to the mattresses, there was a huge buffet laid out - with all kinds of party food, from chicken nuggets to pizza to even small shot glasses of gazpacho. Joachim was so touched, realising how much effort his parents must have put in all that long day to get this ready in time, a d he threw his arms around them, thanking them. 

"You're more than welcome, darling. Your dad and I are going to go and have dinner at the restaurant down the road and give you guys some time together without your parents hanging around," chuckled Veronica, before saying goodbye to them all and heading out with her husband, leaving the friends alone together. 

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's eat," Jorge laughed, beginning to serve himself some of the food on the buffet. "Because I for one am starving." 

"I second that," Craig nodded, and with that, they all began to help themselves to food and drinks, sitting on their mattresses to eat. Craig sat a little bit closer to Jonathan than usual, squeezing his hand every now and again, wanting to make sure that he really was okay and that he wasn't secretly feeling sad. 

"You know.." Joachim began, as he took a third slice of pepperoni pizza, "I know that so many people for their sixteenth birthday have lavish parties and are surrounded by hundreds of friends, but I couldn't be happier to turn sixteen surrounded by four of my best friends, having a chilled out sleepover." 

"And we couldn't be happier to be here celebrating with our best friend on his sweet sixteenth," replied Jorge, with a smile, and his friends wholeheartedly agreed. "And tomorrow is going to be so much fun!" 

They sat in silence for a few moments after that, just enjoying their food, before Jorge got to his feet, clearing his throat. 

"I think we should all do a toast to Joachim," the Cuban announced, coming back from the table and handing them each a shot glass of gazpacho. 

"With gazpacho? Seriously, Jorge?"

"Oh, come on, Joachim! It's a creative idea," replied Jorge, standing in front of them. Raising his shot glass, he exclaimed. "To Joachim Llambi, the first of our little group to turn sixteen!" 

"To Joachim!" the group chorused, raising their own glasses. 

And as everyone clinked their glasses together before simultaneously downing the cold tomato soup, Joachim couldn't have felt more grateful to be surrounded by friends on this milestone birthday.


	12. sweet sixteen

"Let's play! I cannot wait to beat all of you," laughed Joachim, as the five friends entered the Mini Golf centre the next day, which was practically deserted. It was very cold and windy, probably why they were just about the only ones, but the little group weren't going to let a bit of cold weather ruin Joachim's birthday mini golf game. 

"As I said yesterday, we all know it'll be me that wins," said Jorge competitively, as Veronica went over to the reception to ask for five tickets. She herself wasn't going to play, preferring rather to sit on the sidelines with a drink and watch her son and his best friends play. Markus had stayed at home to watch the football that was on TV, but he would be with them later that afternoon when they had cake and Joachim opened his presents. 

"So get ready, my friends, to be amazed." 

"Guys! Come over here," Veronica called in Spanish, and started explaining a few things to them about how it worked, which Joachim translated for Motsi, Jonathan and Craig, who weren't quite as confident at Spanish as he and Jorge were. "I'll sit down and have a drink whilst you guys play." 

"Don't you want to play, Mum?" Joachim questioned. 

"No, it's fine. I'm quite happy to watch and take photos of you," replied his mum, handing them each a golf club. "Shall I get a photo of the five of you before you begin?" 

Joachim, Jorge, Motsi, Craig and Jonathan huddled close to one another, Jorge as the tallest in the middle with the others around him, and they smiled widely as Veronica snapped a photo of them all. After they had had a small photo session, they headed over to the first of the twenty seven parts of the course, Jonathan taking charge of the book where they would write down all their scores. 

It soon transpired that Joachim really was the best golfer of them all. On eight of the courses he got a hole in one, and the highest score he got throughout the entire game was 5. 

Jorge was quite frankly woeful at the game, though he blamed the golf clubs, the wind, Joachim looking at him in a weird way, and the bumpy course for his lack of skills. He did manage to get the ball in the hole in two whacks a couple of times, and once he got a hole in one with Joachim literally holding the club with him and guiding his movements. But apart from that, he took about eight attempts each time trying to get the ball in. Joachim couldn't help but tease him, especially after he had said all this time that he was going to be so fantastic at it. 

"Come on, Jorge! I thought you were going to beat me at this game!" 

"My golf club must be faulty!" Jorge called back over the wind, as Motsi got ready to take her go. 

"Yeah, yeah.. of course we all believe that," the German-Spaniard rolled his eyes at his friend. "Of course." 

"Go on, Motsi! You can do this, chica!" Jorge shouted, and as Motsi tapped the ball neatly and got a hole in one, he ran over to her cheering loudly and hugged her tightly. "Yes, chica!" 

"That was fantastic, Motsi!" Joachim called, and Craig and Jonathan heartily agreed. 

Jonathan surprised himself with actually being a fairly good golfer. Apart from swimming, which he excelled at, he wasn't exactly a sportsman. But he proved to be quite a competent golf player, and every time that he got the ball in the hole, Craig sweetly kissed him and hugged him to make up for how he had gone to sit with Jason yesterday on two occasions and left him alone. Well, not alone as he sat with Joachim, but he could have been alone had the German-Spaniard not been there. Craig himself wasn't bad either, actually managing to get a couple of holes in one. 

As Veronica watched on, she couldn't stop smiling as she saw how happy her only son was. She remembered a time when Joachim had struggled to make friends, had been so shy that he practically retreated into his shell when around people. She thought back to the time when Joachim finally had a friend, and then that friend let him down and betrayed him. And now she looked at him now, her sixteen year old, radiant and laughing and joking with four people that liked him and respected him for who he was. This was all Veronica, as a parent, had ever wanted to see and she couldn't help but be overjoyed at the sight of it. 

"And that's the end!" Joachim exclaimed, taking the notepad off Jonathan and starting to read out their scores. 

"In fifth place - Jorge with 200 points. Better luck beating me next time, Jorge Alexis Gonzalez Madrigal Varona Vila," he laughed, using Jorge's full name, which highly amused them all, Jorge especially. Very few people actually remembered his full birth name, so he was always highly impressed that Joachim could remember it. 

"Hey, if the aim of the game was to get the highest number of points, I would have won this by a long shot!" Jorge joked, swinging his club, but making sure at the same time not to accidentally whack someone in the head with it. There was no way he wanted to be headed to Accident and Emergency with one of his friends injured, having taken a blow to the head. 

"In fourth place - Craig! In third place - Motsi!" 

"Go on, my chica!" Jorge gave her a one-armed squeeze, smiling at her. 

"In second place, Jonathan! And in first place - is of course... me!" 

"Wow, we were so not expecting that" Jorge rolled his eyes playfully. "Seriously though, Joachim, that was so well played. You really are great at golf." 

"I try," Joachim laughed, as they all headed back over to Veronica. "Well played all of you though! You were all fantastic. Now, how about some lunch..?" 

.. 

"Have you all decided what you're going to have..?" Veronica asked, as they all sat together at areas tables pushed together, reading the Planet Hollywood menus. They had decided to come here because there was something that literally all of them liked, and they had been very surprised indeed to see Giovanni and Luba in here, having lunch together on a revision break. 

"Yes," Jorge nodded, placing his menu down in front of him, and in rapid Spanish he said to Joachim's mum, "I'll have tacos, please." 

"And I'll have a beef burger, please," Motsi said, albeit more hesitantly. 

"And what are you going to get, Joachim..?" Veronica asked, and Joachim smiled and replied, "I'll get the steak, please." 

Craig and Jonathan, who were sitting very close together and holding hands under the table, both decided on burgers - Jonathan a vegetarian burger and Craig a double cheeseburger - and Veronica and Markus put in their orders as well when the waitress came along. Joachim noticed his mum whisper to the waitress as she was about to leave, and once she had disappeared into the kitchen, he sighed, "please no." 

"Joachim, I know you hate it when everyone sings Happy Birthday to you, but it's your birthday - it has to be done!" Veronica laughed. 

"Yeah, your birthday wouldn't be complete without it!" Jorge elbowed him gently in the ribs. "We have to sing to you!" 

"Fine," Joachim sighed, with a laugh. "I'll deal with it." 

"Joachim, have you been on Instagram since we woke up..?" Jorge asked suddenly, once their orders had been put in, and Joachim shook his head. "Well, go on there! Motsi and I have both tagged you in things." 

Turning on his phone and opening up the Instagram app, Joachim immediately went to his notifications and found that he had indeed been tagged in two posts, one from Motsi and one from Jorge. 

Motsi had chosen some of his favourite photos of them together and had arranged them in a beautiful collage, and had added a similarly sweet caption. 

motsimabusexo: happy happy birthday to one of my best friends joachimllambi ! Joachim , I'm honestly sooo glad that we met back at the start of year 10 and that we have remained such amazing friends since then !! You always make me smile so much and cheer me up so much when I'm sad and I just love the fact that I can trust you with anything !!! Have the best day ever and enjoy your sixteenth year of life - and keep being your amazing self !! I love you ❤❤xx

"Thank you so much, Motsi," Joachim smiled at his best friend, who was currently taking pictures with Jorge using dog filters. Craig and Jonathan, who was much happier than yesterday (something Craig was very relieved about) were doing the exact same, but with what looked like bunny filters. "I love you too." 

Clicking on Jorge's post next, he chuckled as he began to read and felt his eyes filling with tears by the end. 

TheJorgeGonzalez: hoy es el cumpleaños de mi mejor amigo, y ¡es el primer de nuestro grupo en cumplir dieciséis años! Joachim, espero que tengas un día fantástico (obviamente tendrás un buen día, porque vas a estar conmigo y yo soy fabuloso) y que tengas un año fantástico también! Aunque ganas todos los partidos de Mario Kart que hacemos y aunque en muchas maneras no somos parecidos en absoluto, tu eres como mi hermano y ¡te quiero! ¡Por favor, nunca cambies porque eres perfecto tal como eres! ¡Feliz cumpleaños mi amigo! ❤❤

(Today is my best friend's birthday, and he is the first of our group to turn sixteen years old! Joachim, I hope that you have a fantastic day (obviously you will have a good day, because you are going to be with me and I am fabulous) and that you have a fantastic year as well! Although you win all the games of Mario kart we play and although in many ways we are not alike at all, you are like my brother and I love you! Please never change because you are perfect the way you are! Happy birthday my friend! ❤❤) 

"Thank you so much, Jorge! Of course I win all the Mario Kart games.. because you're utterly terrible at it," Joachim laughed, causing his friends to laugh and his mum to look horrified and gasp.

"Joachim! Don't say that! You could really upset Jorge." 

"Oh, don't worry, Veronica. I really am terrible at Mario Kart," Jorge immediately chipped in. "My feelings are not hurt at all... your son is just telling the truth." He turned to Joachim. "You know, Joachim, sometimes I look at you and I can't believe how much more comfortable you are with joking around with your friends. Remember how at first you never used to understand my teasing and how I once made you cry accidentally because I made a joke and you thought I was being serious..?" 

Joachim nodded, thinking back to how he and Jorge had once truly not understood each other very well, and how he had once been convinced that the Cuban didn't like him at all. 

"Just because you always wear those normal boring clothes!" 

That was what Jorge Gonzalez, one of Joachim's new best friends, had just said to him. Only he wasn't so sure if Jorge really was a friend. 

He liked the Cuban, he really did, but they were as different as chalk and cheese in many ways. Whilst Jorge adored fashion and giving people makeovers, and wanted nothing more than to be a fashion designer when he left school, fashion meant nothing to Joachim, he wouldn't know what bronzer was if it hit him in the face, and he had absolutely no idea what he wanted to do when he left school and went out into the real world. 

And several times over the last few weeks, he had been hurt by a few comments that Jorge made about him and what he was interested in. 

"I'd rather die than spend a day at the golf course," was what he had said when Joachim had mentioned that he was spending the weekend at the golf course with his parents. 

"Wow, Joachim, I wish I had your outstanding intelligence," he had snorted, when Joachim had come to realise why 'afternoon' was called afternoon. 

He knew that maybe he was just too sensitive, but sometimes Joachim couldn't help but feel hurt by what he said, and today's comment really had done it for him. 

And that was why he was currently sitting alone in the library, pretending to be working very hard on his English essay, feeling extremely hurt by what had just happened. 

It was when he had actually begun to write something on the paper, having finally got some inspiration, that he felt someone touch his shoulder. Jumping, he looked up to see that Jorge was standing above him, looking very concerned. 

"Are you okay..?" he asked, softly. 

"I'm fine," Joachim nodded, gesturing to his English book. "I'm just getting ahead on that essay we got set." 

"Could you come outside with me..? I need to talk to you." 

"Well.. would it be all right if we spoke later..? I'm just-" Joachim attempted to avoid the conversation that he knew he was about to have with Jorge, but the Cuban shook his head, saying "please, Joachim, I need to talk to you now. Please come outside with me?" 

Sighing, Joachim got up from his table in the library and followed Jorge outside and into a deserted corner of the playground. Sitting down next to him, he asked, "what do you want to talk about..?" 

“I'm really sorry about what happened earlier. Really, I am, Joachim. You do know I was just joking, right?” Jorge said to his friend, putting his arm around him. “I don't really think the way you dress is boring. It was just meant to be a joke, that’s all. When I’m close friends with someone, joking around with them is just something that I do.” 

“Sorry,” the German-Spaniard replied. 

“You don't need to apologise, silly. I've just noticed a few times that you looked really hurt when I made certain comments, and I just wanted you to know that it's only ever a joke with me,” Jorge told him softly. “Motsi's had years to get used to my way of joking, but other people haven’t. I'm really sorry, Joachim, honestly. I consider you my friend and teasing you is just my way of showing that, and I love you really. I'd never want you to be upset because of something I said.” 

Joachim didn't say anything, merely looking down at the floor. It was only when Jorge felt his shoulders begin to shake that he realised that Joachim was crying. 

"Hey, don't cry," he said softly, putting an arm around him again, cursing himself for evidently upsetting someone that he cared so much about. "Please don't cry." 

"I'm really sorry. It's just.. I thought.. I thought that because you were saying those things, you meant it. I thought you weren't my friend." 

"Good heavens, no! The absolute opposite. I would never say something like that to, let's say, Giovanni, because I don't really talk to him. But to you and Motsi, I would, because you're my friends and so I'm more comfortable with you. I'll honestly stop though, if you want me to. Because I care so much about your feelings, and I want you to be okay." 

"No.. it's fine. I was just worried you actually meant it. You wouldn't have been the first to have said something with the intention of hurting me." 

Jorge knew that he was likely referring to the details of what happened in his old school - he knew that Joachim had gone through a rough time in the last few months and had been bullied, but knew little else and didn't want to press for details too soon - and pulled him in that little bit closer, genuinely feeling awful for making Joachim think that he, Jorge, was like one of those lowlifes that had made him feel so bad in the past. 

"Please just remember one thing," he said quietly, glaring at a couple of boys who looked over at them, ready to laugh at Joachim for crying. "I am nothing like the people that you were bullied by." 

"I didn't think you.." 

"And I never will be. I've been bullied before, I know how it feels. I would never subject a friend to that! Honestly, anything I say like what I said earlier about your dress style, is not to be taken seriously. Okay..?" 

Joachim nodded. "Thanks, Jorge. I'm sorry that we even had to have this conversation." 

"Don't apologise! I get how it comes across, but I just wanted to let you know that I didn't mean to upset you, that I really care about you - and that I do want to be your friend," Jorge smiled at him. "Now, why don't you go and wash your face and get ready for class? Do you still want to come round my house tonight and meet my family..?"

They had planned for Joachim to go over that night (not Motsi as she was going out for dinner with her family for her mum's birthday) , and Jorge was greatly looking forward to introducing him to his family. Joachim had been close to cancelling it just a few moments ago, but now he nodded, smiling. 

"That's great!" The Cuban said, helping his friend up from the ground. "And Joachim..?" 

"Yeah..?" 

"If you feel hurt about anything I say or anything anyone says for that matter, you can talk to me, you know..? I'm your friend.. you can talk to me about anything and you won't get judged for it." 

"I will do. Thank you, Jorge," Joachim smiled gratefully, as he made his way towards the bathroom to wash his face. "I'm so glad you do want to be my friend." 

"Well, it'll be tough hanging out with someone like you, but I'm sure I can handle it!" Jorge said rather seriously, before laughing, and to his immense surprise, Joachim chuckled slightly as well. "I'm joking, okay? Seriously though.. Why wouldn't I want to be your friend...?" 

Joachim smiled at him, feeling lighter, before going into the toilets and washing his face, so nobody could tell that he had been crying. 

And that night, as he got given a wardrobe tour by Jorge and ate with the Gonzalez family, Joachim couldn't stop smiling with the knowledge that Jorge Gonzalez really was a friend after all. 

"A lot has changed since then," Joachim laughed, as the waitress came over with their food, everything looking delicious. "And I'm glad we talked it out that day and that I realised you truly weren't trying to upset me. Now come on, this food won't eat itself!" 

.. 

"Which one do I open first..?" Joachim laughed, as all his friends placed their presents in front of him when they got home from lunch. 

"Open mine," Jorge grinned. "I think you'll like it. For the record, I wanted to get you a golf club, but Pablo suggested something even cooler." 

Upon opening the present, which was wrapped extremely badly (Jorge did not have a talent for wrapping presents), Joachim couldn't help but gasp. Jorge had given him three personalised golf balls - one had Joachim's name on it in red letters, one had a photo of him on it, and the final one had a photo of him, Motsi and Jorge on it, taken earlier that year when they went to pride together - Joachim's first and Jorge's second. 

"Jorge, thank you! These are literally amazing," Joachim gushed. 

"You're welcome, my friend," Jorge chuckled, giving his friend a hug. "Just please, do not lose these." 

"I'm not even going to take these golfing. They can stay in the cabinet, so that i never lose them," Joachim replied, gently placing them down on the table and reaching for the present that Motsi had given him. "What's this..?" 

Motsi had given him a photo album ("to put the photos you take in", she said) and a book about golf, one that she knew the German-Spaniard had been wanting to read for a long time. Craig had gone down the drawing route and had given Joachim a picture of him about to take a shot in golf, and Jonathan had given him one of the albums from a band that he liked and some chocolates. From his parents, Joachim received a golf club ("I'm glad I didn't get you one now!" Jorge laughed, when Markus brought it in), some money, some new clothes, and a skateboard. 

"You need to come out with me to the park one evening, and I'll teach you all the tricks I know," Jorge said, as he took a photo of Joachim holding the red and white skateboard in his arms. "My brother taught me a bunch of tricks when I got my first skateboard, and although I fell off and ended up cracking my head open and needing to get-" 

"Jorge, really? Do you have to put the image of having a bad skateboard accident in his head?" Motsi laughed, gesturing to Joachim. 

"That would be great, Jorge. Although you'll have to be patient with me, I've only ever been on a skateboard twice in my life." 

"I'll try," Jorge winked, before laughing. 

"Right, do any of you guys want cake..?" Veronica interrupted the conversation, and the general consensus was yes. "Okay, I'll go and get it. You guys wait here, okay?" 

"You know, guys, this has been the best birthday of my life," Joachim told his friends privately, as his parents slipped out of the room for a moment. "And it's because I've been able to spend it with you guys.. you really are amazing friends to me."

"Joachim, why do you always have to say the softest things?" Jorge laughed, patting him on the back. "It's been amazing getting to celebrate with you, my friend! I'm so glad you've had an amazing day."

"It's been a fantastic party," Craig agreed, "and only the start of several sweet sixteen birthday parties that we are going to celebrate this year! We have mine just after Christmas, and Jonathan's in May, and then we have Jorge's in June, and Motsi's over the summer holidays... so much to look forward to!" 

"I'm so looking forward to them all," Joachim nodded, as he heard his parents begin to come back. "And thank you guys, for making my sweet sixteen such a special day." 

"You're more than welcome, Joachim. You never need to thank us, though! We love you and we've had the best time, and it's still not over," Motsi smiled, and everyone agreed. 

And as Joachim's parents came back in with the cake - a chocolate cake with a marzipan figure that was probably meant to be Joachim himself on the top - and as everyone sang happy birthday for the second time that day, the German-Spaniard knew that there was no way he would rather have celebrated his milestone sweet sixteenth birthday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Joachim in this chapter, especially in the flashback, is relatable! 
> 
> I'd like to say, that this flashback was a very random creation of mine from a couple nights ago when I couldn't sleep. It's loosely based off a video I once saw about Jorge's style and his stylist, where Jorge said - AS A JOKE, I must add- that he doesn't like Joachim's style 😂 
> 
> Sorry if I got any golf terminology wrong. Apart from the odd few games of mini golf with my friends I have never played it - I'm a bit of a Jorge in that I'm not great at it, let's say that 😂😂


	13. i just... can't

It was the first week in December. 

Today was the day of everyone's first mock exam, and in the classroom where they were all waiting whilst the hall was set up, nerves were running high. 

In one corner, Joachim, Jorge, Motsi, Jonathan and Craig were sitting together, revising science formulas feverishly and trying to remember exactly what standard velocity was. Just across from them, Jason also looked really nervous, his face pale as he flipped through his huge science folder, getting in that last minute revision. Even Ashley looked slightly worried about the exam, which was a first. 

"Fucking hell, I hate physics," Joachim groaned as he flicked through the textbook, trying to find the formula he was looking for. 

"Language, Llambi," said a voice behind him, and the friends all looked up to see it was Jason, standing behind him, grinning widely. 

"Who are you to criticize me?" Joachim snapped, and Craig put his head in his hands. 

"All right, all right, Llambi, keep your hair on," laughed Jason, unaffected by the words of the furious German-Spaniard. "And anyway, I wasn't even here to talk to you- I'm here to talk to Craig- so don't stress your little self about it." 

Joachim rolled his eyes at his coolness and turned back to his science book. Jason ignored him and placed a hand on Craig's shoulder, which made Bruno glare at him even more furiously than Joachim usually did, for whatever reason. 

"Good luck, Craig," he said with a small smile. "I know you'll do amazing- you're so intelligent, and you've been doing great in those study sessions we've been having together recently. I'll come and find you after the exam and we can talk about how we found it, yeah?" 

Craig nodded and smiled up at the taller guy, just as a raucous laugh came from just across the room. "Wait, you guys have been studying together recently?" 

"Yeah, we have, actually. Not that it's anything to do with you. And it's going really well, thanks for asking," Jason snapped at the girl, whose name was Laila, which shut her up immediately. 

"Such a sweet, charming person you are," Joachim snapped, but seemingly unaffected, Jason just grinned and then walked back to his seat in a cool manner. 

"Don't look at me like that, Craig. I know you're like his best friend these days, but nothing you do or say will ever make me be friends with him," Joachim snapped, and when Jorge nodded in agreement, Craig knew that the discussion was closed, so he went back to reading notes that Jonathan lent him on the electromagnetic spectrum. 

"Everyone, please listen up," said their science teacher, suddenly entering the room, and every single student in the room turned to look his way. 

"In a few moments, you will make your way into the examination hall to sit your first mock exam," he said, addressing the room at large. "Now, as long as you've revised, which I hope you'll have done, there's no need to be so scared. Just remember to read the questions, keep on time and just generally do your best. That's all I ask of you, to do your best. You're all capable of getting a good grade, all of you in this room. Now, have all of you got black pens?" 

Everyone in the room held up their pens, and Joachim positively scowled when he saw that across from him, Jason was holding six up. 

"Good," said the science teacher, with a smile. It was remarkable how many times he had seem students come to exams without basic stationary like pens and pencils. "Now, has everyone taken the labels off their water bottles?" 

There was a general chorus of "yes" around the room, although there were a few people who went to take theirs off, having not done it already. Jorge was one of those, taking off the label he had so elaborately written his full name on whilst bored in a revision session just a couple of days ago. 

"Right, now please make your way to the examination hall, except those who require extra time or a scribe, whom need to go to the portakabins," the teacher instructed. "Good luck everyone, and remember to do your best!" 

Jason and Ashley led the group downstairs, chatting among themselves, and Joachim and his group stayed near the back, wishing one another good luck. 

"Just think, in 90 minutes, we will be over and done with with this subject," Jorge said in a positive tone, dropping his plastic bottle on the floor and immediately picking it up again. "Think positive, guys!" 

"Until we have to go back to studying it again for another six or seven months" Joachim replied dryly. 

"Regular sunbeam you are, Joachim," laughed Jorge. "Seriously, though, good luck, my friends. We've got this! We're going to smash the next two weeks and we're going to get grades to be proud of, I just know it." 

And with that, they entered the exam hall silently, Joachim not being at all amused to find out their invigilator was Mr Frieling, and sat down, ready to do their best on the first of many mock exams to come. 

..

"So, how was it then?" Jonathan asked his friends, when they got out of the exam hall an hour and a half later. Before their next lesson, they had been allowed a 45 minute break outside to unwind and go back to work refreshed, and so Joachim, Jonathan, Jorge, Craig and Motsi were standing in their usual corner of the playground chatting.

"I actually think I did all right, which is a surprise because I despise physics," Joachim revealed with a proud smile. "How do you think you did?" 

"I loved that paper, but I had no idea on one of the 6 markers.. I do hope that it doesn't impact my grade too much," Jonathan sighed. 

"Oh come on, Jonathan, you're clearly going to get a 9 no matter what," Jorge rolled his eyes, though really he was in awe of how good Jonathan was at science. "I didn't do too badly, though I completely forgot what terminal velocity was- " 

"Oh, Jorge! You were studying that just before you entered the exam hall!" 

"I know, I know, but it went out my mind completely! And I couldn't remember the formula for working out pressure. Motsi, chica, and Craig, how did it go..?" 

"I think I fucked up all the maths questions," Craig said in a small voice, the questions having been really hard for him. He felt as though he had certainly failed, which made him feel ashamed when his friends were all fairly confident on what they had done. 

"Craig!" a voice called from behind the group before anyone could answer, and Joachim groaned and folded his arms across his chest as he realised that it was Jason, standing there with Ashley. 

"How did it go?" Jason asked, smiling at Craig, ignoring Joachim's glares. "Ashley here just said that he found it really hard." 

"Yeah, it was really difficult, I highly doubt I've passed," Ashley chimed in. "But oh well - physics isn't that important to me. How did your exam go, Craig?" 

"Awful, I think I fucked up all the maths questions," Craig replied sadly. "I can't see myself passing. You, Jason?" 

"Oh, really?" Jason asked rather sympathetically. "That's a real shame, you seemed to be getting it the other day when we were revising. Maybe it was the stress of exams. And I found the paper really easy, thank you, it was.."

"Oh, of course you did," Joachim muttered under his breath, but loudly enough that Jason caught what he said. "Wouldn't be an exam without our class genius showing off about how easy he found it, now, would it?" 

"What's your problem with me, Llambi?" he snapped, suddenly.. "I was asking my friend a question and then I was answering his question. Got a problem with that?" 

"He'll never be your friend!" Joachim retorted, looking furious. "Making friends with you would be the biggest mistake of anyone's life!" 

"Well excuse me, Llambi, but he is my friend!" Jason almost shouted, his face livid. "He's allowed to have other friends outside of your little group, you know!" 

"Yeah, I know that, and he does, but you, his friend! Seriously?" Jorge snapped, and Jorge couldn't help but nod his head in agreement. 

"Yeah, we're friends!" Jason shouted, seemingly not caring that people were looking at him. "Our parents spend two nights a week together and so Craig and I revise together and are friends! And I'm so sorry if you don't like it, Llambi, but grow a pair, suck it up and deal with it, will you? Grow up, for goodness sake! I know you don't like me but you don't have to get everyone else thinking I'm no good. Now, Craig, why don't you come with Ashley and I and we can talk properly about that exam? Without interruptions from some people!" 

Ignoring the furious look that Joachim gave him and the rather reproachful look that Jonathan gave him, Craig nodded and walked off with Jason and Ashley. 

"Sorry about that, Jason," the Australian said apologetically as the three of them walked to another corner of the playground and sat down together. Looking back at his friends, he saw they had resumed conversation, probably about the exams. 

"It's not your fault, silly," Jason laughed, as the three of them sat down on the floor together, backs against the wall. "Your little friend was being totally unfair there." 

"Jason was completely right back there," said Ashley, taking out a cereal bar from his pocket and beginning to eat. "You're allowed to have other friends, Craig." 

"Of course you are, Llambi's just being ridiculous, as per freaking usual," Jason agreed. "Don't let him and his immature behaviour get to you, Craig. I mean, Ashley and I are best mates and have been since we were- how old, Ashley? Five?" 

Ashley nodded, stuffing the last of the cereal bar in his mouth. Swallowing, he replied, "Yeah, we met on our first day at primary and we've been best mates ever since." 

"See, we've been friends since we were literally five years old, and we're both sixteen now - well, Ashley will be in February - and Ashley has other friends. Do we let it affect us, though? No, we do not! Like for example, as you know, I don't hang out with Ashley's friends for several reasons, but I don't let it affect the friendship I have with Ashley," Jason continued, and Craig nodded once more. 

"Exactly," Ashley nodded. 

"And that's how it should be," Jason finished. "Llambi is just jealous and he doesn't want you to like me because he doesn't like me. Immature if you ask me. Hopefully, they'll see sense." 

Craig nodded again, tears suddenly starting in his eyes. 

"Aww, don't cry!" Jason cried, and shuffled over next to his fellow Australian and put his arm round him. "Please, don't cry! If you start crying you'll set me off, I'm really not as tough as I make myself out to be." 

He sighed. "Look, Craig, if Joachim was anybody else, I would definitely make more of an effort with him because I get how close you guys are. I wouldn't be this much of a bitch towards him if he was anyone else but who he is. You know, I don't dislike the rest of your friends. Jorge, Jonathan, Motsi.. they're actually nice people and I don't dislike them." 

"But why don't you like and why can't you be friends with Joachim...? What happened between you two that's so bad you can't give him another chance..?" Craig just didn't understand what Jason's problem with the German-Spaniard was. 

"Craig, I don't really want to explain everything just now. It's a long story and I'm not up for telling it now. But I can't forgive, and I certainly can't forget. And.." 

"And what?" 

"I'm really sorry, Craig. But... I can't ever be friends with Joachim Llambi. I just... can't."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Theories! Why do you think Jason can never be friends with Joachim? I'd be interested to hear what you think 😂
> 
> All will be revealed... in time!


	14. tough day

To their surprise, the friends actually got through the first half of mock exam season quite well. Joachim almost tore his hair out when he realised that the one text he hadn't studied had come up on the English language paper, and Jorge almost cried when he went into the maths exam and found he could answer barely any of the set questions, but they actually got through it pretty well. And they had each other, AMD were able to lift one another up before and after exams and motivate each other, so they found it easier than they had expected. 

Currently, everyone was taking it in turns to go into an empty classroom and do their Spanish oral mock exam, whilst everyone else waited in another classroom for their name to be called. Joachim, Jorge and Jason had already been, as had Craig, and currently Motsi was in there, as her surname began with a letter later in the alphabet than the other three. 

"I do hope she does well," Jorge said, crossing his fingers. He had found the speaking really easy, and Spanish being his first language gave him a massive advantage. He had walked out that classroom feeling very proud of himself, and Joachim had come out with great confidence too. "She was so nervous before she went in." 

"She'll have done fine. The presentation she wrote about the photo was fantastic," Joachim replied, and indeed he had been so impressed when Motsi had read it out to them a couple of weekends ago when they were studying together.

"It really was. It was better than mine and Spanish is my first language! And I love how she chose a photo of us to use." 

"Me too! I-" Joachim was cut off suddenly, met with the heartbreaking sight of their best friend running past the room, evidently crying her eyes out. 

"Motsi." Jorge stood up from the desk he had been sitting on and immediately the two of them went in search of their friend. They eventually found the south African beauty sitting in an empty classroom, head in her hands, crying. 

"Motsi! What's up, chica?" Jorge cried, pulling up a chair beside her and pulling her close, letting her cry into his chest. "What's happened?" 

"My.. my Spanish exam was absolutely.. dreadful," Motsi wept, as Joachim sat down with them as well, taking hold of her hand. "I've.. I've definitely failed!" 

"Hey, hey, I'm sure you've done way better than you think you have," said Jorge in a comforting tone, stroking his hand up and down her back, hating to see his best friend this upset. "Don't talk yourself down like that." 

"I really haven't. I forgot everything I learned... I just about made it through the presentation, but then at the questions, I.. I lost it! Mrs Kelly looked so disappointed in me, and I... I feel so ashamed," Motsi sobbed. 

"Motsi, you don't need to feel ashamed, my friend!" Joachim exclaimed. 

"But I do! You guys are.. so much better than me. And I just feel so stupid right now." 

"Motsi, have you forgotten something..? Joachim and I both speak Spanish as a first language. So don't compare yourself to us... that's like me studying ballet for a year and comparing myself to Carlos Acosta." 

"Jason's not Spanish.. and he's one of the best students in our class." 

"Yeah, well, Jason is a live genius," Joachim said, in a tone that for once, didn't sound sarcastic or bitter. "But Motsi.. do you know what Jorge was saying about you before we came in here to find you?" 

"What?" Motsi looked up at her friends with a teary face. 

"He said your written presentation for the photo was so much better than his. And trust me, he meant it." 

"I did mean it. I was so impressed when you read it to us the other weekend, chica!" Jorge told his friend, as she rested her head against his chest again and he stroked her back. "You truly don't give yourself enough credit for how great you are at things, and I feel so sad for you because you deserve to be much more confident in your abilities." 

"Thanks, Jorge. I just.. I just wish I could be better." 

"Motsi, you've only been learning Spanish two years. It's quite remarkable how much you know already. You're better than some of those who have been learning it years!" Joachim passed her a tissue. "You're way too hard on yourself... and as Jorge said just now.. please don't compare yourself to us. Because you'll just be left feeling bad about yourself every time because you aren't as fluent as two people who have Spanish as a first language... and we don't ever want you to feel bad about yourself!" 

"And besides, this is only a mock exam - you have so much time to improve and get better, and we'll always help you if you need any help," Jorge reminded her, smiling at her and tickling her to make her smile. "There we are! There's that smile we love. Now, I vote we go downstairs for lunch, talk about stuff unrelated to exams, and then tonight, you should both come round for dinner. Text your parents at lunch and ask." 

"Sounds like a great idea," Motsi cheered up a little. "Thanks, guys. You're always so supportive of me and I love it." 

"What are friends for?" Joachim smiled, just as the door opened and in walked the history teacher, who looked extremely concerned to see the trio there and one of them so upset. 

"Guys, what are you doing in here? Motsi, are you all right..?" 

"She's fine, Miss Green. Just had a rough exam, that's all," Jorge answered for his friend quickly, and Motsi elbowed him in the ribs and hissed "why did you have to tell her that?" 

"Don't worry, Motsi. These exam are just practice exams. There's plenty of time to improve," the teacher reassured the young student, and Motsi smiled and thanked her, as she, Jorge and Joachim headed back to the classroom, where almost everyone had completed their oral exams. Motsi felt a little better when she found out that Giovanni had started speaking in Italian halfway through because he forgot how to say what he wanted to in Spanish, and that another girl in their class had also had a really bad exam as well and cried halfway through. She still felt terrible about her own exam though - feeling like she had let herself, and everyone else down. 

She just hoped that for the real exam, she could improve. 

A few minutes later, the trio headed downstairs to lunch together. Once they were sitting down at their usual table together, both Motsi and Joachim texted their parents to see if they could go to Jorge's for dinner, and both sent back their permission. 

"We can have dinner, hang out for a bit and relax after today, and then I'll walk you both home," Jorge suggested. 

"Sounds great," Motsi nodded, beginning to eat her lunch. "I'm so glad that we just have an afternoon of rehearsals today.. I don't think I'm up to any more school work today." 

"Yes, we can just have fun and relax this afternoon," Jorge agreed, with a smile. "We deserve to relax sometimes.. we've been working so hard recently." 

"We have. And I, for one, can't wait to relax and do absolutely nothing for at least a week when we break up for Christmas," Joachim chimed in. 

"In just a fortnight, I'll be lying on a beach in Cuba and spending Christmas with my larger than life family," Jorge said dreamily, closing his eyes as he thought about it, "and you know what..? I couldn't be more excited." 

.. 

"Right, one last song and then we'll have a ten minute break. Let's finish with Any Dream Will Do," Mr Frieling announced, "and that means Joachim and Jorge, the two soloists.. I need you two to come to the front." 

"Good luck!" Motsi told her best friends, as they made their way to the front of the stage, standing side by side. 

As soon as everyone was quiet, the musical theatre song began, and after the instrumental, Joachim began to sing the opening lines to one of his favourite songs, rather shy as singing was something he wasn't entirely confident about. 

I closed my eyes,   
Drew back the curtains  
To see for certain   
What I thought I knew. 

Far far- 

"Joachim, stop!" The drama teacher paused the music, and Mr Frieling stepped forward. "You can sing very well, but how can you expect anyone to hear you when you're looking down at the ground and not projecting your voice?" 

"I don't know. I'm sorry, I'll try again," Joachim said, rather embarrassed. "Sorry." 

"You've got this," Jorge said to him softly, as Mr Frieling shouted at somebody to stop talking, "just sing like you always do when we're alone together. You can sing." 

The music began again and this time, Joachim sang a few decibels louder, trying to lose his awkwardness as he did so. 

I closed my eyes,   
Drew back the curtains   
To see for certain   
What I thought I knew 

Far far away   
Someone was weeping  
But the world was sleeping   
Any dream will do 

"Much better, Joachim!" Mr Frieling cried, as Jorge began to sing the next few lines. 

I wore my coat   
With golden lining, bright colours shining   
Wonderful and new 

And in the East,   
The dawn was breaking   
Whilst the world was waking.   
Any dream will do

"Brilliant, Jorge! Keep it up!" Mr Frieling cried, clapping his hands. 

The song ended on a high with them all singing together, and at the end Mr Frieling, Mrs Kelly (who had walked in halfway through - and who Motsi was trying to avoid eye contact with) and their drama teacher clapped them and looked extremely proud. 

"That was great! We really are getting there," Mr Frieling began to talk, hushing the students. "Joachim, that time round you were much better, but we could still do with a little bit more energy from you and a little more volume. Jorge, that was fantastic, keep it up. Thomas, will you please smile and act more motivated? We are doing a Christmas concert, you know, not attending a funeral!" 

The boy called Thomas, who was standing not far from Craig, rolled his eyes and replied, "yes, Mr Frieling." 

"Right, everyone go and have a ten minute break and then we'll resume," Mr Frieling announced, and everyone began filing off the stage, going into corners of the auditorium with their friends. 

"Guys, that was amazing!" Motsi cried, giving both her friends a hug, suddenly feeling so proud of them. "You're amazing!" 

"Thank you so much, chica! I-" 

"Amazing? I wouldn't call Llambi's singing that." 

"Nobody asked for your opinion," Jorge replied curtly, turning around and speaking before Joachim could say anything. "Now leave us alone." 

"Well, I personally think it was a terrible idea even letting Joachim sing solo," Jason said scathingly from behind them, walking to catch them up as they marched in the other direction. "Why give a solo to someone who sounds like a cat being strangled with a scarf?" 

"Well, at least I actually have the courage to stand up there and sing! I don't see you up there singing a solo," Joachim shot back. 

"Well, I wish to god that you weren't! Because you're absolutely shit at singing, and you're just going to ruin the entire show for us!" Jason snapped, before walking off to find Ashley, leaving Joachim, Motsi and Jorge alone. 

The comments were so cruel that Joachim found himself welling up. Putting his head in his hands and beginning to cry, the German-Spaniard ran out of the auditorium, leaving Jorge and Motsi feeling torn as to whether they should go after him or not. 

"Jorge, don't you dare," Motsi said firmly, as she noticed her Cuban friend was glaring over at Jason, like he would very much like to go over to him and tell him exactly what he thought of him. "You already got yourself one detention this term shouting at Jason.. I'm not letting you make it two." 

"Yeah, well, I'm not just going to stand by and let someone make my best friend cry like that!" Jorge practically snarled, but before he could storm off, Motsi caught hold of his arm and pulled him back. 

"Jorge, I'm being serious. I know you want to confront him, but you're just going to get into big trouble if you go over there screaming and swearing at him, and you know it," Motsi said, as they were all called back up onto the stage. "Please, just calm down." 

"I'm going to find him. If anyone asks where I am, tell them I've gone to find Joachim," Jorge replied, and turned on his heel and walked out the door, heading upstairs to the school building once more. His first point of search for his friend was the bathrooms, and to his relief, it transpired that Joachim was in there. But that relief quickly turned to sadness when Jorge heard his friend lightly sobbing behind the locked door. 

"Joachim..?" Jorge called through the door. 

"What..?" The word came out much more tersely than Joachim intended. "Sorry.. that didn't come out the way I meant it to." 

"It's fine. Joachim, it's me, Jorge. Please, come out. It's just me here, I promise you there isn't anybody else. Everyone else is still at rehearsals." 

Joachim paused for a moment, then the door unlocked and he stepped out the cubicle. His face was all red and blotchy from where he had been crying, and he looked so sad that Jorge immediately pulled him into a hug. 

"Come on, my friend," he said softly, putting his arm round him and leading him out of the men's bathroom. "Come on. Do you want me to go and say to the teachers that you want to sit out the rest of rehearsals for today...?" 

Joachim nodded. "Yes please. I don't think I can face going back on stage."

"Okay, I'll go do that now," Jorge said softly, leading Joachim back downstairs. "I'll ask if I can sit out with you, if you like." 

"No.. that's not fair. You need to practice," Joachim replied, shaking his head. "You go on and continue singing - I'll sit out. Jorge - can you please say nothing about Jason?" 

Now it was Jorge's turn to shake his head. "Joachim, you don't need to defend him or keep quiet about what he does to you. What he said was vile, and you don't need to let him get away with it. The teachers will help-" 

"Jorge, please don't say anything. No good will come of it." 

"But-" 

"Jorge!" 

"Fine," Jorge sighed. He wasn't happy about it, but he didn't want to upset his friend further. "I won't say a word, not if you really don't want me to. But if anything like that happens again... promise me you'll tell the teacher..?" 

"Sure. Just don't say anything this time," Joachim said urgently, as they headed towards where the teachers were sitting. The students were all singing Do They Know It's Christmas? and the teachers were watching them with immense pride. "And please.. can we not talk to Mr Frieling?" 

"Okay," Jorge laughed, steering Joachim towards the drama teacher, Miss Phillips. "Miss Phillips..?" 

"There you are, you two! Where did you get to..? You know you're not supposed to go anywhere without asking us first!" 

"I know, Miss Phillips, but Joachim fell over the chair and was a bit upset so went to the bathroom upstairs," Jorge easily lied, making Joachim sigh slightly with relief. "I went up to make sure he was okay and now I was going to ask if I could sit out with-" 

"Actually, I've changed my mind," interrupted Joachim, who was looking up at the stage and seeing that Jason was staring down at him very scornfully, "I'm fine to go back on and continue singing." 

"Are you sure, my friend..?" 

"Oh, I'm sure. Let's do this!" 

"That's the spirit!" Miss Phillips smiled as Joachim and Jorge made their way up onto the stage, next to Motsi, who immediately gave her friend a huge hug, not caring that they were halfway through a song. 

"You okay..?" she murmured in Joachim's ear, and the German-Spaniard nodded, glaring over in Jason and Ashley's direction before beginning to sing once again. When the teacher decided that they should end on rehearsing Any Dream Will Do again, so as to end on a high, Joachim sang his part as loudly as he could, projecting his voice to the back of the room like he hadn't done earlier. 

And when Mr Frieling shouted, "fantastic, Joachim!" he couldn't help but turn around and grin triumphantly at Jason, who looked furious. 

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Mr Frieling could hardly contain his happiness at the end of the song. "Joachim, that was fantastic! So, so much better! All I can say is - keep that up! Jorge, once again, that was brilliant, and Thomas, thank you for actually smiling during that! Our next rehearsals will be tomorrow afternoon after the morning exam, so get ready for those and keep practicing! Thank you!" 

"Joachim, that was fantastic!" Motsi exclaimed, as they filed off, giving her friend another huge hug. Jason glared in their direction, but they ignored it, Joachim too happy now to care. "Where did that come from..?" 

"I wasn't going to let him ruin things for me." 

"Good for you! Never let him-" Jorge glared over in Jason's direction, where he was talking to Craig, "bring you down or stop you doing things." 

He put his arms round both of his friends. 

"Now, come on, you guys. We're going to go back to mine and we are going to have a really fun evening together." 

And with that, the three friends left the auditorium and began to walk home to Jorge's house together, looking forward to an evening of fun together. 

..

"Mami, please can Joachim and Motsi stay for dinner?" Jorge asked, greeting Paco, as he and his friends arrived home a while later. "They've both had a bit of a tough day." 

"Of course they can!" Silvana nodded, as she chopped vegetables in the kitchen. "As long as their parents are okay with it." 

"They are," Jorge replied, and Joachim and Motsi confirmed this was true with a nod of the head. "I've already promised Joachim's parents and Motsi's mum that I'll walk them both home after dinner." 

"Perfect. Sorry to hear you've had a bad day, guys," Silvana said sympathetically. "What happened, exactly..?" 

After first obtaining permission, albeit reluctantly, from both his friends to explain, Jorge told his mum, "Joachim got insulted during rehearsals today by Jason - Jason told him he couldn't sing and was going to ruin the entire performance." 

"Well, this Jason is obviously very jealous, because Joachim, you can sing!" Silvana replied. "Did you tell your teacher..?" 

"Joachim didn't want to say anything. So we just said he had fallen over." 

"Well, if it happens again, I definitely think you should talk to the teachers about it. Teachers are there to help, you know. And what happened to you, Motsi?" 

"She had a rough speaking exam today and got a bit upset," Jorge explained. "I keep on telling her though, Mum, she should never compare herself to Joachim and I! Because we both have Spanish as our first language.. she doesn't." 

"Exactly! You can't expect to be as good as someone who's been speaking it all their lives," Silvana told the young girl. "There's always time to improve though, and I'm sure that you'll get the grade you want with hard work!" 

"Exactly, and Joachim and I have both said we'll give her any help if she needs it, haven't we, Joachim?" Jorge turned to his friend, and the German-Spaniard nodded. "Right, we'll be up in my room. When's dinner ready..?" 

"Around 7.00," replied Silvana, smiling at the three of them. "I'll call you when it's ready. If you want a snack, there's stuff in the kitchen." 

Heading into the kitchen, Joachim, Jorge and Motsi got something each out of the fruit bowl - Joachim and Motsi apples, and Jorge a banana, which he put into a sandwich. 

"Jorge, I hate bananas anyway, but putting them in a sandwich? Really?" Joachim looked horrified as Jorge began to eat the sandwich he had just assembled. 

"Joachim Llambi, you can't talk - you not only drink milk on its own, but you put milk in the bowl before the cereal!" 

"And you eat pineapple on pizza, so I'm afraid Jorge is right," Motsi laughed, "you don't get to have an opinion on the matter." 

They headed up to Jorge's room munching their snacks and closed the door behind them for some privacy. 

"So, what are we going to do..?" Joachim questioned, as he finished his apple, throwing the core into the waste paper bin in Jorge's room. 

"I'll tell you what we're going to do. We're going to play Mario Kart, and you're both going to have the greatest of fun beating me," Jorge replied, with a grin, kicking some stuff under his bed to tidy up later and handing both his friends a remote. 

"Well, that won't be hard," Joachim laughed, as Jorge got the game set up. "Come on, then!" 

And indeed Joachim and Motsi both had immense fun coming first and second in every race, whilst Jorge came miles behind them, crashing his kart multiple times and bumping into other players. But it didn't annoy the Cuban even slightly this time, and he wasn't as competitive as he usually was - for tonight, his only objective was to make his friends smile after a long day that had been tough for both of them, and he was certainly succeeding in that. 

"We'll have to have another Mario Kart competition when you guys come to mine for New Year," Joachim laughed, as they headed downstairs for dinner later that evening. "And we should definitely do Wii sports as well! I want to see if Jorge is any better at virtual golf than he is at real golf." 

"Joachim, you know that it was the wind and the bumpy course that made me lose at your birthday!" Jorge cried. 

"Oh, of course it was. How could I forget?" Joachim rolled his eyes. "But seriously, I really want to see how good you are at it." 

"Challenge accepted," winked Jorge, as they made their way into the dining room, where Silvana had just served up and Alejandro was just sitting down. 

After a delicious dinner of chicken, rice and vegetables, in which they talked about everything but school and rehearsals, instead talking about Pablo coming over very soon and their respective plans for Christmas, Jorge told his parents, "I'll walk Motsi and Joachim home now. I'll be back within the hour." 

"Be safe," Silvana said, as she began to clear the table. "Especially when you're on your way back, Jorge." 

"I will be," Jorge promised. "I'll be fine... we'll all be fine." 

"Thank you for letting us come over, and for a lovely dinner," Motsi thanked Jorge's parents, and Joachim did the exact same. 

"You're always welcome over here, guys," Silvana told them with a smile. "We love having you here." 

"My family genuinely love you both," Jorge chuckled, as they headed out into the night. "I actually think my mum would adopt you given half the chance." 

"I'm really looking forward to meeting your brother when he comes over," Joachim said, as Jorge climbed onto his bike and rode alongside them, slowly. 

"Oh yeah, I forgot you haven't met him yet! You'll get on really well, I know it." 

Joachim's house was closer than Motsi's, so he was dropped off first. Giving Jorge and Motsi a huge hug at the gate, and waving to his mum through the window, Joachim said, "thank you so much for today." 

"Don't thank us. I'm just so glad that you got back up there, sang your heart out and had such a fun evening with us," Jorge replied, with a smile. "See you tomorrow, yeah? Bye, Joachim." 

After waving goodbye, both Motsi and Jorge headed to Motsi's home together, Jorge riding alongside Motsi at the slowest pace he could go at. Upon arriving, around ten minutes later, there was immediately a cry from inside the house and Oti and Phemelo came running down the path, throwing themselves at Jorge. 

"Jorge!" 

"Hey!" Jorge laughed, giving them both a hug. "How are you..?" 

"Jorge, will you come and play dress up with us..?" Oti asked, bouncing on her toes. 

"Awww, I'm afraid I can't tonight, because I have to go home before school tomorrow. But I promise I'll come over at the weekend," Jorge promised, "and I'll bring some of my stuff over for us to dress up in, if you like!" 

"Okay!" 

After saying goodbye to Oti and Phemelo, and saying a quick hello to Motsi's mum, who came to tell the two little girls that it was bathtime, Jorge hugged Motsi goodnight. 

"I'll see you tomorrow, chica," he said softly. "I know that you were really disappointed in yourself today, but you're amazing and I don't ever want you to feel bad about yourself, okay..? You're so much better than you think you are." 

"Thank you so much for being so supportive, Jorge," Motsi thanked her friend. "Your support really does mean the world to me." 

"I'm always here for you, Motsi," Jorge replied, as the girl opened the front gate again and headed inside. "See you tomorrow." 

"See you tomorrow. Bye!" 

"Bye! I love you." 

"I love you too!" Motsi waved at her friend all the time she was walking up to the door. "See you in the morning." 

After making sure she got inside the house safely, the Cuban climbed on his bike. And beginning to sing a self-penned song as he cycled home, Jorge couldn't help but smile. 

After a tough day, albeit for different reasons, two of his best friends were happy and smiling again, and his friends to be happy was all he could ever ask for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A very long chapter 😁 I hope you enjoyed!! 
> 
> Bless fictional Joachim and Motsi though, I want to hug them both 😭
> 
> I really hope you all enjoyed this!! The next chapter will be up soon, I have two days off on Monday and Tuesday so in between revising for mocks I'll try and write lots ❤
> 
> Love to you all and thank you so much for the support!! ❤❤


	15. intentions

Craig really struggled with some of his mock exams, many of them not going nearly as well as he would have liked them to. He was trying really hard, and revising really hard most nights with Jason (even the nights that the families didn't have dinner together, they often got together and revised), but it just seemed like he wasn't able to do a lot of them as well as he felt that he should be able to. 

The maths and science ones were especially difficult - whereas his boyfriend and Jason both flew through them, absolutely loving their papers, Craig could barely answer any of the questions, it seemed. He greatly envied the quick intelligence of both Jonathan and Jason, wishing with all his heart that he was the same. 

The next exam, however, was his favourite - drama. Craig loved writing essays for the subject and was actually looking forward to the exam. They wouldn't be able to answer one section yet, though - the section about live theatre - because they hadn't yet been to see a piece of live theatre that they could evaluate. 

Back in February, when they were in year 10, they were meant to be going to see a performance together, but only some of the students had actually ended up at the theatre. Their drama class was quite small, so three teachers - Mr Frieling, Mrs Kelly, and Miss Phillips - had taken them in their cars. Mrs Kelly and Miss Phillips managed to make it to the theatre, but Mr Frieling managed to get himself lost, going to a completely different theatre the other side of town, and therefore the students in his car - Craig, Joachim, Jorge, and Motsi - had missed out on the show. They were meant to be going to see another piece of theatre in the New Year to make up for it, which Craig was greatly excited for. But even though they weren't able to do that part of the exam yet, there were still several parts they could do, so Craig had been practicing answering essay questions that night whilst Jason sat opposite him at his desk, working on some English literature paper 2 revision. 

After dinner, a cheerful meal consisting of chicken wrapped in bacon, mashed potato and gravy, Jason suggested to Craig that they go in the hot tub together to let off some steam and relax, as they had been really working hard that evening. Craig was quick to agree, and Pamela said they could go in, so long as they were out and dried off for when the Horwood family needed to go home in an hour. 

Heading upstairs, they got changed and Jason found Craig a pair of his old swimming shorts that he didn't use any more, for the Australian hadn't brought any to the house. A few minutes later, they were heading back downstairs and outside to where the hot tub was, sinking into the deliciously warm water and sighing happily. 

"At some point when the weather gets warmer, we should go swimming together," Jason suggested suddenly, as they sat there luxuriating. "You like swimming, right..?" 

Craig nodded. "Yes! I'm nowhere near as good as Jonno, though. He's brilliant." 

"Jonathan really is a fantastic swimmer. I remember he beat me at the swimming gala last year - I came third in both my races, and I was beaten by both Jonathan and Llambi." Jason said the last word of the sentence with great displeasure. 

"Joachim is also a fantastic swimmer!" Craig smiled. "I remember being so surprised when I saw how good he was." 

"Yeah, I was surprised as well," Jason replied curtly. "Surprised that Llambi is actually halfway decent at something." He rolled his eyes. "Craig, don't look at me like that." 

"Jason, you're my friend and you always will be, but I do think you are very nasty to Joachim sometimes," Craig tried to reason with him. "Some of the things you say about him, I just don't like. I'm friends with you, but I'm also friends with Joachim, and whilst I get you can't be friends with him, I do wish you wouldn't be nasty about him." 

Craig had heard about some of the things Jason had said and done to Joachim through Jorge and Motsi, and seen other things, and whilst he genuinely did like Jason and knew that there was a reason he acted the way that he did, he didn't like the way that the Australian treated his other friend. He hadn't failed to notice Joachim mysteriously disappearing from rehearsals the other day, or the way that he came back having obviously cried. He had got the full story that day from a fuming Jorge of how Jason had insulted Joachim's singing and told him he was going to ruin the show, and had quite frankly not been happy at all. 

"And I wish you would shut up about him and stop trying to tell me how to treat other people, thank you very much!" Jason snapped, before realising what he said and turning towards a rather hurt-looking Craig. 

"Craig.. look, I'm sorry," he immediately apologised, realising that he had been out of order. "I'm really sorry. I didn't mean for that to come out the way it did. I just.. I'm not going to sit here and play nice with Llambi, not after everything." 

He took a deep breath.

"Look, Craig.. what happened, it's too painful to talk about right now. Which is the reason why I've not explained yet. I will one day, I promise.. but all you need to know right now is that.. Llambi did something to me. Something I don't feel like I can forgive. And believe me, I'm a forgiving person. I believe in giving second and even third chances, but I don't feel like I can ever give him a second chance after what he did. I do try to be civil.. but every time I see him it just makes me so angry and upset when I think about what happened."   
  
"Jason.. I get that you don't want to tell me right now, and I completely respect that. As I said before, I'd never push you into talking about something you didn't want to. But I want you to remember that if you ever do want to talk about it… I'll always listen and try and help you." 

"I know," Jason replied, "and I really appreciate you for that. And as I said.. one day I'll tell you exactly why I despise Llambi. But not yet. I'm not ready." 

Craig nodded but inside he couldn't help wondering what on earth it was that made Jason hate Joachim so much, and what made Joachim always treat Jason the way he did. He had known Joachim for over a year now, and he just couldn't see the German-Spaniard doing anything unforgivable. Yes, Joachim had his flaws, but then again, so did everyone. Everyone had some sort of flaw of some sort - but Craig just couldn't think of something that Joachim could have realistically done that would make Jason hate him so much. 

There were only two possibilities, in his eyes. Either Jason was lying completely about Joachim and what had happened to him in the past.. or Joachim wasn't the person that Craig thought he was. 

He had become quite close to Jason since his birthday, though there was a lot he still felt he didn't know about him, and had been close to Joachim since he joined the school, befriended Motsi and Jorge, and then had been introduced to Craig and Jonathan shortly after. 

And when Jason eventually did tell him the story, Craig knew that at least one of the two boys was going to turn out to have a side to him that he didn't know they were capable of having. 

And he didn't know how he was going to take that. 

...

It was the day before their final two exams were due to take place, and Jason was upstairs in his little bedroom revising hard. Craig wasn't over at his that night, so he was revising alone in his room for their second English language and chemistry exam papers. He was feeling very confident on the English paper, but he still felt he needed some practice on chemistry, so that was what he had been focusing on this evening. 

As he finished marking a past paper that he had just completed and wrote the score on the front page with a proud smile on his face - 75/80 - there was a knock at the door and his mum walked into the room. 

"Dinner's ready, Jason," she said, smiling. 

"Coming!" Jason replied, and circled his score with the red pen before he headed out of his room, shutting the door behind him, and went downstairs to the dining room, where his family were already waiting and beginning to eat. For dinner that night they had sausage casserole, and Jason thanked his mum before taking his seat and starting to tuck into his food. 

"So how are the exams coming along, Jason?" Keith asked as the family of four ate. 

"Good, yeah," Jason replied rather casually, sipping his water. "Just got the English language paper 2 and chemistry to do tomorrow and then it's all over." 

"Reckon you've done okay in them all?" Pamela asked. 

"Mum, this is the genius of the family you're talking about. I think he's done more than okay," replied Jamie, in a tone dripping with sarcasm. 

"I sincerely hope so," Jason replied, with a laugh. "And Jamie, I've told you a million times, if you actually tried a little bit harder and focused on meeting the targets your teachers set you, I wouldn't be the only genius in this family." 

"I do try! It's not my fault I get compared to you!" Jamie argued back. 

"Well, who do you expect to get compared to..? A non-existent sister?" 

"All I can say is, Jason, with all the work you and that boy from the Horwood family- Trent, is it?- have been doing together, you should do very well," said his dad. 

Jason snorted and almost choked on his food as Keith said the wrong Horwood. His dad was just terrible with names. 

"Unless I've been revising with a one year old kid who's asleep almost every time we have dinner together, I think you mean Craig," Jason laughed. "Dear me, Dad!" 

"Sorry, you know I'm bad with names," Keith said with a laugh, serving himself some more of the casserole. "Losing my memory in my old age." 

"But yes, Craig and I have been working very hard recently," Jason replied, putting emphasis on Craig's name. 

"Well, I'm glad that you and Craig have been working so well together, because we have something to ask you both," Pamela began, and both Jason and Jamie looked up from their food and wondered what they were about to be asked. 

"What's that?" 

"Well, your dad and I were talking and we were wondering, boys, how would you feel about spending Christmas with the Horwood family?" Pamela asked. "We thought it would be lovely to share the festivities with them, but if you guys would rather it was just us, then that's fine too." 

Unbelievably, and in a way he never thought he would react to this kind of news, Jason smiled, and Jamie nodded over at him, also looking happy about the idea. 

"Really?"

"Yep, we'd like to invite them round for Christmas lunch, but only if you're both okay with it," said Pamela, and Jason grinned and replied, "I'd love that! Thank you, Mum," whilst Jamie nodded and said "yeah, sounds good!" 

"Well then, I'll talk to Bev tomorrow about it," Pamela smiled, looking pleased at the reaction of her two sons. "I'm so glad you're both on board with the idea.. Jason, especially, it's so lovely to see you making friends with somebody that isn't Ashley." 

"Craig's a lovely person," Jason replied, "and I wish I'd realised that from the second that I joined the school." 

"Craig drew you that picture, didn't he..? The one from that plant musical you like." 

"It's called Little Shop of Horrors, Jamie, not that plant musical," Jason rolled his eyes - his brother was not a musical theatre lover like he and Craig were - "and yeah, he did. And honestly, I've never been given something more thoughtful. It's just a shame that some of his friends aren't quite as nice." 

Usually, for a remark like that, Keith would have given the older of his two sons a lecture on being more respectful, but for once he didn't, for after what happened he wasn't exactly part of Joachim Llambi's fan club. So he stayed silent, and Jamie tried to change the subject shortly after, talking about the football match he had on Saturday for the rest of the meal. 

After the meal ended, Jason immediately retired back to his little bedroom to finish his revision and have some time to himself before he had to go to bed, for it was Jamie's turn to help clear the table today and wash the dishes. They took it in turns, to save any arguments between the brothers, and tonight was Jamie's night. 

Sitting down in the swivel chair at his desk, Jason stared out of his bedroom window, unable to believe how things had changed between him and Craig in just a few weeks. Back in September, had his mum suggested inviting Craig and his whole family round for Christmas dinner, Jason would have absolutely flipped. After all, he was fuming when Pamela suggested that they have a simple dinner together. But now he actually liked the idea of spending Christmas day with someone he now considered a friend, and getting to share the festivities with him and his family. 

The Australian found himself gazing over at the drawing Craig had done, something he did very often these days. A month on, and he still couldn't believe that Craig had done that for him. That was the turning point, the moment where he realised that Craig truly did want to be friends and that he wasn't going to hurt him - wasn't going to leave him broken like he once was. If Jason was honest, he still worried about whether Craig really was sincere about not having bad intentions, but he was slowly beginning to get rid of that fear the more time he spent with Craig. Craig seemed so sincere, so kind and like he would never intentionally hurt anybody, but although that was still the case, Jason still did wonder whether Craig was just a really great actor. 

Because, as he knew from past experience, sometimes a person can turn out to be somebody completely different to who you originally thought they were. 

.. 

"Guys! You know what?! We actually did it!" Jorge exclaimed, high-fiving both Joachim and Motsi as they ran outside after their final mock exam. They had just come out of their chemistry exam, and whilst most people had found it very difficult (Giovanni had come out and promptly described, in Italian, the exam using some rather strong language), everyone was just relieved that exam season was finally over and that now they could look forward to Christmas. 

"We survived mock exams, us three! And I'm so proud of us!" 

"And what about us? We survived mock exam season too!" Craig came up behind them, arm in arm with Jonathan. "Where's our credit?" 

"Sorry, I meant us five," Jorge corrected himself with a laugh. "I'm so proud of us all! Now, we can relax and have a break until after Christmas." 

"I'm still going to do some revision over the festive season, but I am going to give myself a rest for at least a week," Jonathan revealed. 

"You deserve a break, Jonno," Craig said softly, kissing him on the cheek before waving across the playground at Jason and Ashley. "Guys, I'm going to go and see Jason, okay? I'll catch you later." 

And before anyone could comment, he had rushed off towards his friend, leaving Jonathan watching after him and wishing that he could get more than five uninterrupted minutes at school with his boyfriend. 

"Jonathan, are you coming..?" 

"Yeah," Jonathan nodded, following the rest of the group down to sit in their usual corner. It was twenty minutes till lunch and so the year 11s had been allowed to have a break outside before going into the lunch hall. "I just.. I just wish that Craig spent more time with me in school. Every single day now it feels like I can't even talk to him in school without Jason interrupting. And then out of school.. he's almost constantly over at Jason's revising or Jason's family are with him at his house. You know, I don't think we've had a date night since the geography trip, and that saddens me." He paused for a moment. "Am I being too clingy..? Or is it all in my head..?" 

"No! No, you're not being too clingy. It's not a bad thing to want to spend time with the person that you love. And Craig has been spending a lot less time with you and all of us in general recently, we've all noticed that. It's definitely not all in your head. Why don't you try talking to him..?" Motsi suggested, lagging with Jonathan a little further behind Joachim and Jorge. "Tell him how you feel.." 

"Maybe I might at some point," nodded Jonathan, as he looked over at Craig once again, who was now laughing at something Jason had said. Seeing Craig laughing so easily at someone else's jokes, somebody who wasn't him, made Jonathan feel jealous and sad like he never had before. 

And as he sat down with his friendship group, Jorge initiating a conversation about how his brother was arriving tonight in time for the choir concert tomorrow, Jonathan wondered, not for the first time, if Jason and Craig's friendship really was causing him and Craig to start drifting apart.


	16. big brother

That evening, Jorge stood at Arrivals at Heathrow Airport with his dad, waiting for Pablo to come through the sliding doors. 

They kept in regular contact, and made sure to call each other at least once a week to catch up on what was going on in each other's lives, but Jorge really did miss his older brother living at home with him and his parents. He had genuinely been so upset when Pablo broke the news that he was moving out, and not only that, but that he was moving back to Cuba. But through technology they had managed to stay as close as they ever were, and their visits to Cuba or Pablo's visits to England were what Jorge really looked forward to. 

It was a commonly told story in the Gonzalez family about how Pablo had burst into tears and cried when he found out that his mum was pregnant with Jorge because he didn't want a brother. He liked being the only child, having his parents undivided attention, and he didn't want this sibling to become part of the family. But all that changed when Jorge was actually born, and now Pablo wondered how on earth he could ever not have wanted a little brother. And though Pablo and Jorge were very different in many ways, and liked completely different things - Pablo was into basically all sports to exist, and cooking, whilst Jorge's main passion was fashion - they were extremely close and growing up, Jorge had always idolised his big brother - he still did. He knew well that had it not been for his brother convincing their dad to accept Jorge's dreams and to let him do what made him happy, Alejandro may not have accepted him and his dreams of becoming the next Vivienne Westwood as quickly as he did. 

Jorge still remembered how it had all panned out, the situation with his father, as clearly as if it happened just yesterday. 

"Why can't you be more like your brother, Jorge? Why can't you do things other normal boys do? Boys don't wear heels and spend their days in their rooms watching make-up tutorials and learning how to make clothes! Boys go outside and play football, and if you even think I'm paying for you to go and study to become a fashion designer or make up artist-" Alejandro said the words fashion designer and make up artist contemptuously, "then you're wrong. You're doing something masculine and normal like your brother, and that's that." 

Jorge had so many words in his head, ready to argue back - about how some of the most famous fashion designers in the world were men, about how there were some very famous make up artists that were male, and how he was sick of being compared to his brother on a constant basis - but he said nothing. Instead, he climbed the stairs to his bedroom, locked the door of his room, sat down on his bed, and began to cry. 

Jorge loved his brother, but he hated to be compared to him constantly. And he especially hated how his dad had recently started to make him feel as though he was inferior to Pablo, like Pablo was the favourite child. 

Silvana had always told Jorge to go for what he wanted and not let anyone stop him, and she was always very encouraging when she came into his room and he was watching the latest make-up tutorials or browsing fashion magazines or making new clothes. In fact, she had been the person who bought him a sewing machine just a few months previously for his thirteenth birthday. 

But his dad just wouldn't accept the fact that he didn't have an interest in most things that, in Alejandro's eyes, were considered masculine. 

And it hurt. 

At that moment, Jorge's phone began to ring, and he wiped his eyes fiercely before picking it up to see that Pablo was ringing him. He didn't really want to talk to anyone at the moment, but he answered it anyway. 

"Hola, hermano!" Pablo said in his usual cheerful tone. "Hey.. are you okay?" 

"I'm fine," replied Jorge, nodding, wondering if it really was that obvious that he had been crying. 

But Pablo wasn't convinced. "I can tell you've been crying. What's happened..?" 

Alejandro had gone out into the garden a few minutes ago, had started cutting the grass, and so Jorge began to explain everything freely without fear of being overheard. 

"Dad told me.. he told me that he wants me to do normal boy things," Jorge choked out, the tears beginning to roll down his face again. "And he told me that there's no way he'll ever pay for me to study to become a fashion designer or make up artist, and that I need to do something masculine and normal like you.. which just isn't what I want to do but I guess-" 

"First of all, Jorge, I want you to know that for me it doesn't matter what you grow up to be. You're my brother and all I care about is your happiness. And if being a fashion designer is what makes you happy.. then you need to go for it!" 

"But how can I..? There's no way Dad's ever going to pay for me to study.." 

"Listen to me, hermano. I'm going to talk to him for you right now, okay..? And if he really can't accept you for who you are and still won't allow you to do what makes you happy, I'll pay for you to study. Just because you're male doesn't mean you can't be a fashion designer, or a make up artist, or whatever you want to be. You remember my friend José?" 

Jorge nodded. José was one of Pablo's friends, a few months older than Pablo himself, who Jorge had met when they went to Cuba last year. It turned out that the two of them had actually been in the same class once, before they moved to Germany when Jorge was still learning to walk, and they had now become very close friends. 

"Well, he's training currently to be a fashion designer, you know" Pablo continued. "There's nothing wrong with men wanting to be fashion designers and loving clothes and make up as much as you do. So I'm going to go and talk to our dad now." 

"Thank you.." Jorge burst into a fresh flood of tears. 

"Hermano, please don't cry. I'm going to get this sorted," Pablo said softly. "Okay..? You can count on me." 

.. 

Almost an hour later, Pablo sat in his Cuba home waiting for Jorge to message him. He and his dad had had a long conversation over the phone about Jorge, and in the 40 minutes or so that they had been talking, the older Gonzalez son had done his very best to convince Alejandro to be more supportive of Jorge's dreams. 

"I know you would rather that Jorge spent time doing sports and other things you consider to be masculine," Pablo had explained, "but Dad.. fashion and make up make him happy. He wouldn't be happy taking up football or working in a kitchen like me. And isn't his happiness the most important thing..? He doesn't get much support at school, apart from Motsi really... I know it would mean so much to him if you supported him." 

Jorge had never spoken about it, but Pablo knew about the way that some people treated his younger brother at school due to an incident that happened the year before at parents evening. Pablo had come over on holiday, and his visit had coincided with Jorge's parents evening, so he had come along to find out how his brother was doing in terms of academia. On their way out, Pablo had overheard a bunch of boys talking about how "weird" and "freaky" Jorge was for dressing and acting the way he did, and for having the ambitions that he did. Pablo had gently tried to get Jorge to open up about it, but he had refused, saying that everything was fine and that everyone was very nice to him even though it was obvious that he was lying. Jorge had never been a skilled liar. 

Pablo, by the time he ended the call, felt as though he had somewhat got through to his father, and now he just hoped that Alejandro could put Jorge's happiness first. 

It was about two hours later when Pablo's phone beeped, and what he read on the screen made him smile more than he had in a long time. 

Mi hermano 👠: *photo* 

Mi hermano 👠: I honestly cannot thank you enough!!!! 

Pablo 🍳: I'm guessing it went well then?? 

Mi hermano 👠: we had the world's longest conversation, but yes, it did!! Dad said that he's sorry he came across the way he did earlier, and though he would still much rather that I did something like you like being a chef or working in an office, he'll pay for me to study fashion if that's what really is going to make me happy. He's told me, though, that he wants me to finish my schooling and take all my exams, so that I can have something to fall back on if my plans don't go the way I dream of. 

Pablo 🍳: hermano, I'm so happy for you!!! 

Mi hermano 👠: and I'm so grateful for YOU. Thank you so so much for talking to him, it really does mean the world. I'll never be able to thank you enough 😭

Pablo 🍳: you don't need to thank me, hermano. You deserve all the support you can get. I know about the lack of support you get at school - please don't lie to me, you aren't a good liar. I KNOW how they treat you - and I just wanted you to get as much support as you can out of that place. Because that's what you deserve - you are brave enough to be who you want to be and that's an amazing thing

One year later, Jorge came out as gay to his family after a student threatened to out him. He was terrified to tell them, especially his dad, remembering the reaction he had received when he had talked about being a fashion designer just 12 months previously, but their reactions had all been overall positive. His mum had given him a hug and told him he was proud of him and loved him no matter what, and his brother had told him that this confession changed nothing and that Jorge would always be his little brother, no matter who he chose to love. 

Alejandro had been slightly unsure how to take the news but he had said "if that's who you are, then I'll support you" and that had meant the world to Jorge. 

He moved to England not long after that, and started at a new school with Motsi by his side, he was admittedly nervous that people wouldn't accept him for who he was. But he knew that the best thing that he could do from day one, was to be unapologetically himself and show everyone that even if they didn't like who he was, he wasn't going to change just to please them. 

And apart from the odd few comments from people, and the weird glances that he would sometimes get in the corridors, Jorge gained a lot of respect and admiration at his new school, simply for having the courage to be himself. 

"Papa," Jorge began, getting out his purse, "can I go and get some snacks or something from the shop over there whilst we're waiting..?" 

After looking over to see what shop Jorge meant, Alejandro nodded. "Of course." 

Thanking him, Jorge headed across to the shop, browsing before grabbing himself a packet of cheese and onion crisps. Seeing that Pablo had not yet come through, he walked over to the magazine section, eyeing all the different magazines on display, especially the ones about fashion. He caught sight of one about golf, and immediately laughed as he thought of Joachim. Taking out his phone, he discreetly snapped a photo of the magazine cover, before sending it through to Joachim. 

Jorge 👠: Joachim !! look what I found 😂😂😂

"Hermano, I never knew you had an interest in golf! Has your friend converted you..?" 

Jorge whipped around to see his brother standing there, grinning cheekily. 

In some ways, Pablo and Jorge actually looked very similar. They both had almost exactly the same face, and were both extremely tall and thin, and they had the same natural hair, dark, unruly and curly. However, the similarities stopped there. Their styles, especially, were completely different - Pablo had a much more conservative and simple way of dressing than Jorge, who was much more adventurous. Tonight, it was evident how different their styles were - Pablo was just wearing a casual T-Shirt and jeans with a fleece over the top, whereas Jorge was wearing a leather jacket and the leopard print trousers that Joachim had ended up wearing on their geography trip and had felt so embarrassed in. 

"You know I don't like golf," Jorge laughed, "and no, Joachim has not converted me. Also, when did you come through..?" 

"I'm only joking, and just now," Pablo laughed, hugging his brother, who he had missed so much in the time they had been apart. "Great to see you again, hermano." 

"Great to see you too," Jorge replied, a huge smile spreading across his face as they hugged. His phone pinged just as they broke apart a few moments later and he looked down at it to see that Joachim had replied. 

Joachim 🏌️♂️: you know me too well 😂😂😂

Joachim 🏌️♂️: also, I am way too happy right now because I just found the man playing golf emoji on my phone 

Joachim 🏌️♂️: I can now put it on my contact 

Joachim 🏌️♂️: this may be the highlight of my week 

Jorge 👠: it took you this long ?!?! 😂😂😂

Joachim 🏌️♂️: don't bully me, Gonzalez 😂😂😂

"So, are you going to buy a magazine? Papi is waiting," Pablo gestured through the window at Alejandro, who was beginning to look rather impatient. 

Jorge nodded before picking up one of the fashion magazines, and the golf magazine thinking he could give it to Joachim for Christmas, and heading to the till to pay for that and the crisps. The queue was pretty short and within a minute, they were heading back to the car, Pablo with his one small case. That was another difference between the two brothers - whereas Jorge looked as though he was about to move out even just going to Joachim or Motsi's house, Pablo had more than mastered the skill of travelling light. Whenever they used to go on family holidays, when Pablo still lived with them, Alejandro had always ended up persuading Pablo to take a lot more and Jorge a lot, lot less stuff. 

"So, Jorge, tell me - how were the exams today..?" Pablo asked, as they drove home, Jorge in the back seat whilst Pablo and Alejandro sat up front. 

"Chemistry was awful but we won't talk about that, and English was decent," replied Jorge, making a face as he thought of the incomprehensible two hour long chemistry paper he and his classmates had been forced to do. "At least it was a text I actually studied, that's a bonus."

"And that's the end of your exams now, right..? Or have you got one tomorrow?" 

"No, that's it! And I couldn't be more relieved. Just got to wait now till after Christmas to find out exactly how they went." 

"And you're confident on most of them?" 

"I'd say so," Jorge replied to his older brother. "Spanish is the one I'm most confident on, especially the speaking exam. Joachim and I both loved that one. Maths was an absolute disaster, but that was expected. Science can actually die in a hole. Geography wasn't too bad. I'm fairly confident on drama - that exam was actually fun. English was decent.. yeah, I'd say apart from maths and science, I'm fairly confident on most of them, which is good at this stage." 

"I think we'll be getting you a tutor for maths in the New Year, Jorge," Alejandro said from the front seat, cursing as someone cut in front of him. 

Jorge sank down in the back seat, covered his eyes and said a word in Spanish under his breath that summed up his feelings about that idea. 

"Jorge, please don't use that sort of language," Alejandro scolded, and Pablo let out a laugh at the sheer irony. "It's not meant to be a punishment." 

"Doing maths sure feels like a punishment," Jorge muttered, but fortunately only Pablo heard what he said this time around. 

Either that, or Alejandro just chose to ignore it. 

.. 

"Are you nervous about tonight, chica..?" Jorge asked, as he and Motsi sat on the wall in the playground, waiting for the other students to arrive. It was the last day of term and in just under two hours, it was their school production. He and Motsi had gone home early today (they had been able to go home two hours early), had lunch, and then the two of them had come back to school, Joachim saying that he would come along later. They were the only students there currently and the only people on the premises other than Mr Frieling, Mrs Kelly, and Miss Phillips. 

"I am, but I'm excited too," Motsi revealed. "Is your brother still coming..?" 

"Of course! And my parents. Your mum and sisters are still coming, I take it..?" 

"Of course! And they can't wait. And Oti and Phemelo are so excited about you coming out for dinner after the show with us! They want you to come in the play area with them.. I didn't have the heart to explain to them that.." 

"That I'm so tall, people would probably have to call the fire brigade to come and get me out of there," Jorge finished for her, laughing. "Yeah.. believe me I'd love nothing more than to relive my childhood by going in a children's play area, but sadly, that's not going to happen unless you take several inches off my height." 

His face grew solemn all of a sudden, and he looked at Motsi seriously. "I really hope that Jason stays away from Joachim tonight." 

"I do too," Motsi replied, nodding. "I just want him to have one night where Jason isn't constantly attacking him or making him upset." She gave Jorge an even more serious look. "Jorge.. I need you to promise me something." 

"If it's to not stand up for Joachim if Jason gives him shit, then I'm not promising anything." 

"Jorge!" 

"What? I'm sorry, but I'm not going to stand by and let my best friend get hurt. I told you this before, Motsi." 

"Jorge.. look, I know it upsets you when Jason is nasty to Joachim, because it upsets me too. Seeing my best friend getting bullied is so horrible, and although I think sometimes Joachim is a little bit harsh on Jason, there's still no need for Jason to be that cruel. But you've got to understand that shouting and screaming at him is just going to get you in trouble, and I really don't want you to get more detentions. Remember how the teacher said that if we have had to attend more than three detentions we can't go on the residential trip at the end of the year..? I really don't want you to miss out on that because you got detention because you were swearing and screaming at Jason." 

"Fine," Jorge sighed, knowing deep down that Motsi was right. And he did really want to go on the residential trip at the end of the year with his best friends - there were rumours they were going to Spain again and he had had such a great time overall with everyone last year. "I won't say a word." 

"Good. I know you just want to give him a piece of your mind, but I don't want you to get into trouble or have to miss out on things." Jumping up from the wall, Motsi waved at a car that was just pulling up. "Hey, look! Joachim's here!" 

The two friends ran over to the car, where Joachim was just getting out. A small bag on his back, he was wearing a red Christmas jumper with a picture of Santa stuck in a chimney on it, and a Santa hat on his head. The students had been told to wear festive clothing for the event - Christmas jumpers and hats or antlers - and so the other day, Motsi, Joachim and Jorge had all gone out to buy jumpers. Motsi's one was red with a reindeer on it, and Jorge's one was also red, with a dog in a Santa hat on it. The Cuban had teamed his Christmas jumper with black skintight leather trousers, black heeled boots and a Santa hat, and he hadn't straightened his hair, so his hair was his natural curls at the moment. 

"Are you excited..?" Motsi asked, as the three of them walked into the playground, having said hello to Veronica and Veronica having wished them good luck. 

"Yeah, of course, but I'm really nervous about my solo," Joachim admitted, as they all climbed up onto the wall together. 

"I am too. But we'll be fine!" Jorge told his friend cheerfully. "We've got this. And our families will be so proud of us, and then after the show, we all get to go for dinner together with our families! And you get to meet my brother." 

A few moments later, more students began to arrive, dressed in all kinds of Christmas jumpers. Craig and Jonathan arrived together, hand in hand, Jonathan wearing antlers that wobbled every time that he moved his head even slightly. Ashley and Jason also arrived together, along with Jamie, who immediately ran over to his footballer friends and started talking about how bored he was of this show and how he couldn't wait for it to be over. 

Once everyone had arrived, Mr Frieling came out to get them, and they all headed into the auditorium, which currently was empty. Sitting down in groups across the room, the students were allowed to have a drink and snack before heading backstage before the parents all arrived. 

"Jorge, I will never understand why you like banana sandwiches," Joachim commented as he watched his friend munching a banana sandwich that he had made himself earlier that day. 

"They're good!" Jorge dragged out the last word. "And I'll never understand why you like raisin bread." 

"Raisin bread is the best thing to exist," Joachim insisted, as he finished up the crackers that he had brought along with him. "Wow, I'm nervous." 

"You don't need to be. I know you're nervous, because I'm nervous too.. but you're a fantastic singer, Joachim, and anyone who says that you aren't-" she looked over at Jason with unusual disgust in her eyes, "is wrong." 

"Exactly! We are all going to slay our solos!" Jorge finished his banana sandwich. "You guys need to have a little more confidence in yourselves." 

"I often wish I did have your confidence, Jorge," Joachim sighed. 

"I wasn't always as confident in myself as I am these days. You can definitely get there, my friend," Jorge replied, with a smile. "But take it from me, you can sing and you're going to be absolutely brilliant tonight." 

He grinned round at his best friends, just as Mr Frieling began to call everyone to head backstage, as the parents would any moment be arriving. 

"Now, come on, guys. Let's go backstage and get ready to make ourselves proud!"


	17. any dream will do

As the students all stepped onto the stage, the audience started clapping and cheering loudly, so excited for the show to begin. 

Jorge, who made his way to the back row (they had all been put in lines according to height and he was one of the tallest students in the school even without his heeled boots on) and stood beside Craig, could see his family sitting in the second row. Just in front of them was Craig's family, all his sisters and his brother sitting there alongside Bev, and right next to them were Jonathan's parents and three sisters. Joachim's parents were sitting not too far from Jorge's own family, and right on the opposite side of the room (was it a deliberate move?) were Jason and Jamie's mum and dad. And then there were Oti and Phemelo with Motsi's mum, right next to Joachim's family. Oti was currently waving at Jorge excitedly, and the Cuban gave a little wave back as they began to sing the opening song - Silent Night. 

Silent Night was immediately followed by Away in a Manger and an Italian Christmas carol sung by Giovanni, Graziano and Bruno. Although few could actually understand the meaning of the song, they all agreed it sounded beautiful, and gave all three a huge round of applause when it was over. Following that song were Joachim and Jorge's first solos in the Spanish version of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. This song had been thrown in the mix rather last minute - being the two people in year 11 with Spanish as their first language, Mr Frieling had thought that it would be nice to get them to sing a Spanish song together. This was an idea that Mrs Kelly had loved, and Joachim and Jorge had agreed, much to their delight. 

As the two of them stepped forward, Motsi whispered "good luck!" loudly enough that they could hear but quietly enough that nobody else could hear. 

Standing a couple of feet apart from one another, Jorge began the song confidently, moving from side to side as he did so, and as he did so, his parents and brother in the audience exchanged proud glances. 

Era Rodolfo un reno  
Que tenía la nariz   
Roja como la grana   
Y de un brillo singular 

He looked over at Joachim, who was due to start singing, but the panicked look on his face and the way he was shaking his head told the Cuban that he had forgotten his words, that nothing was coming out. 

Noticing Jason's glare, and the glee in his eyes that something had gone wrong for Joachim, Jorge realised quickly what had happened - Joachim must have looked round, seen the glare, and forgotten his lyrics because of it. Quickly shooting him a comforting look, Jorge picked up the song and continued to sing the entire thing solo, whilst Joachim continued to dance beside him and fight back the embarrassed tears that were threatening to spill. 

After the song ended, and the audience clapped and cheered loudly, Joachim and Jorge headed back to their places. As they did so, Jorge patted Joachim on the back, saying softly "it's okay" as he noticed that the German-Spaniard was incredibly close to tears. 

Craig's solo came next in Winter Wonderland, with Bruno and Jonathan joining in on the song at some parts. When Jonathan sang his part perfectly, Craig turned round to him and smiled at him with immense pride, knowing how hesitant he had been at the start to even sing one line. Jonathan just wasn't as much of a musical theatre and drama lover as Craig himself was, and he was really proud of the Leicester-born's achievement. 

Motsi's solo was shortly afterwards and as she sang, Jorge and Joachim both watched on proudly. Though he was still close to tears, trying desperately not to cry on stage, Joachim couldn't help but smile, and when the song ended, the two of them clapped and cheered her louder than anyone else in the room, making her smile radiantly. As she turned to walk back to the rest of the group, Jorge mouthed well done, my chica! and Motsi blushed slightly as she retook her place. 

After another solo from Craig in the Johnny Mathis classic When A Child is Born, the first half ended with them all singing Rocking around the Christmas Tree, and with that began a half hour interval. Once they had all filed off the stage, Joachim immediately began to battle his way through the students, heading somewhere he could be alone. 

"Jorge," Motsi nudged her friend, who was looking over at Jason, his face livid, "don't you remember what we talked about..? Also, we have no proof that it was Jason." 

"Fine. Motsi, I'm not going to go and shout at him, though it's tempting," sighed Jorge, knowing that he couldn't very well go shouting at him now, much as he wanted to. He would have to control himself on this occasion, especially because all the parents were there and because he didn't want another detention this year. 

"I feel so bad for him. We were literally just saying earlier how we wanted him to have one night - just one night - where everything went well." 

"Me too," nodded Motsi, sadly. "Look, I'm going to go find him. You stay here, okay..?" 

"No way, I'm coming with you," Jorge insisted, following Motsi out the side door and up the stairs to the school building. They found Joachim fairly quickly, sitting on the stairs despite it being freezing outside, hunched over to make himself look smaller and shelter himself from the cold. And as they got closer, they could hear that he was very upset, sobbing into his hands, obviously extremely ashamed of himself. 

"Oh, Joachim. Come here," Jorge announced his presence before sitting down and pulling his best friend into a hug. "Come here. Hey.. come here. Just let it out." 

Joachim said nothing initially, allowing himself to be pulled into a hug by the Cuban, just getting out all his feelings. Whilst Jorge hugged him close, just allowing him to cry, Motsi went down to the auditorium again to tell the teachers where they were going to be and to get him some tissues. She came back a few minutes later to find him still crying heavily, Jorge attempting to make him feel better. 

"It's okay," he said softly, as Motsi pressed some tissues into the German-Spaniard's hand. "I promise you, hardly anyone noticed." 

"Oh no, it definitely wasn't obvious!" Joachim said sarcastically, as he wept. "I was standing at the front with the only other soloist, and I must have looked like a rabbit caught in the headlights, but oh no, it definitely wasn't obvious!" 

"Even if they did notice, nobody was judging you," Motsi said softly. "You haven't let anyone down or anything." 

"Nobody judging me..? Ha! I can think of at least one person who was being pretty damn judgemental and you could almost say feeling joyful that I messed up..." 

"I told you you were going to mess up the entire show!" Jason laughed derisively, as he walked past with Ashley, heading upstairs for something. "And I was right! Thanks a lot for ruining the entire proceedings, Llambi." 

Joachim started crying harder, and Motsi tugged on a furious Jorge's jumper to make him sit down, sensing he was about to explode any minute. 

But before the Cuban could say anything to Jason, Ashley surprisingly spoke up. 

"Jason.. that was nasty. Joachim didn't mess up deliberately."

"What? Of course he did! He's been ruining things since the day he was born. Ashley, you are meant to be on my side!" 

"I always am, but Jason.. come on. You can see he's really upset about it. We shouldn't add to that," Ashley pulled on his arm, and Jason stormed off into the school building. Ashley, however, stayed behind, looking very apologetic. 

"Guys.. I'm sorry about that. I really am - I did try to stop him from saying that." 

"Yeah, well maybe you should have tried a bit-" Jorge began, before receiving such a look from Motsi that he stopped immediately. "Thanks for trying to stop him. I'm sorry, and I know that you are his best friend, but I reall hate the way that he treats Joachim." 

"I get it. I do think that he goes a bit too far sometimes with what he says about him, but..." and his gaze fixed on Joachim, who still had his head buried in Jorge's chest, "I do think that he has a right to be angry towards Joachim." 

Before Motsi or Jorge could question further, however, Jason came back from where he had been and led Ashley back down to the auditorium, throwing another dirty look across at Joachim as he did so. 

"Joachim," Motsi said softly, putting a hand on his back as the German-Spaniard's sobs finally quietened, "you know what I think you should do..?" 

"What..?" 

"I think you should go to the bathroom, wash your face, and then go back on that stage with us and sing the hell out of your other solo!" 

"Motsi, I'm not.. I can't. I don't want to." 

Joachim's loss of confidence broke Motsi's heart, and she reminded him gently, "don't you remember what you said at that rehearsal when Jason upset you..? You said that you wouldn't let anyone stop you doing what you loved, remember? Joachim, I swear, you haven't let anyone down tonight. Forgetting words is something that can happen to any one of us. I really think you should go back up there, not just to show Jason that you are fantastic, but to prove to yourself that you're not going to let any amount of nasty comments from people stop you doing what you love."

"Besides, you know Any Dream will Do. It's one of your favourite songs, from one of your favourite musicals, remember?" 

"Yeah, well, I thought I knew bloody Rudolph. But I didn't," Joachim said bitterly, standing up. 

"What I mean is, Joachim, it's one of your favourite songs. You love Joseph and his Amazing Technicoloured Dreamcoat with all your heart, remember? That musical means a lot to you! So go up there, sing your part out like you did in rehearsals that time after Jason was horrible to you, and have fun with it! You can do it, my friend! I know you can." 

Joachim said nothing, but he stood up from the cold steps and made his way into the bathroom to wash his face, so it wasn't obvious to everyone that he had been upset. Coming back outside a few moments later, looking a lot calmer but still appearing to be slightly shaky, Jorge slipped an arm round him, saying, "come on, mate. Let's go back downstairs! We've got this, the three of us."

"We have," Motsi agreed, smiling comfortingly at him. "You're going to be amazing, Joachim. Trust what we say." 

Joachim didn't feel all that convinced as he entered the auditorium once more with Jorge's arm around him and Motsi walking alongside him, but inside, he hoped that the second half would go better than the first half. 

..

"And now with solos from our year 11 students Jorge Gonzalez and Joachim Llambi, it's Any Dream Will Do," Mr Frieling announced to the audience, and Joachim and Jorge stepped forward, Jorge confidently, Joachim much less so. 

"You can do this," Jorge whispered to Joachim, as they were handed microphones. "You can do this. Show Jason that you're not going to let his words affect you." 

As the music began, and everyone began to click their fingers together in time to the music just like they had been instructed to do by Mr Frieling, Joachim smiled. The song really was one of his favourites, one that always made him smile when he heard it, and though he was still shaky from crying so much, he vowed to just have fun with it. Bringing the microphone closer to his mouth, he closed his eyes and began to sing. 

I closed my eyes   
Drew back the curtains   
To see for certain   
What I thought I knew 

Far far away   
Someone was weeping   
But the world was sleeping   
Any dream will do 

As he finished, he beamed at Jorge, and Jorge winked at him proudly before beginning to sing the second verse with the other students providing backing vocals. 

I wore my coat   
With golden lining, bright colours shining   
Wonderful and new 

And in the East   
The dawn was breaking, and the world was waking   
Any dream will do 

In a way he almost doubted he would just an hour ago, Joachim actually got through the entire song really well. And when the song ended with all of the students singing together, Jorge grinned and threw his arms around his best friend, so proud of him and so happy that it went so well after he forgot the words earlier, not caring that there were however many parents watching them. 

"I'm so proud of you!" he told him, as the audience cheered. "You were amazing." 

Looking round at everyone on the stage, Joachim couldn't help but smile as he realised that everyone was clapping for him. Even Jason was clapping and had a small smile on his face, though his claps were very half-hearted in comparison to everyone else's. 

The last four songs - Hallelujah, Last Christmas, Do They Know It's Christmas and finally Underneath the Tree - went without a hitch. 

And after a few speeches from the teachers, which were mostly about how well the students had done and how they hoped that they would all have a good Christmas, everyone was allowed to go and find their parents in the audience. 

"Joachim, I'm genuinely so proud!" Motsi cried, running up to her German-Spanish friend backstage and giving him a huge hug, overjoyed at the success of the evening. "And if you're not proud of yourself, then be proud of yourself right now this instant, because that took guts and you did it!" 

"You sure showed Jason you weren't going to let him get to you!" Jorge exclaimed, doing a little dance in his heeled boots. "Well done, mate, seriously. That was amazing." 

"Thank you so much, guys! You know I couldn't have done it without you convincing me," Joachim couldn't stop smiling as he spoke to his friends. Pride in himself and his achievements wasn't something he felt very often, but tonight, he definitely felt it. "Right, you two, I'm just going to go and use the bathroom. I'll be back soon." 

"Okay! Come and find us when you're done so we can go out," Jorge grinned, taking hold of Motsi's arm and pulling her out into the audience to find their families whilst Joachim headed upstairs to use the bathrooms. Fortunately, and unlike most days at school, they were deserted, except for one door that was locked. 

That door opened just as Joachim was about to enter the cubicle and out stepped none other than Jason Gardiner. 

Joachim sighed and made to head into the cubicle, not wanting his pride in himself and his self confidence boost to be ruined by the Australian, but Jason didn't say a word. He simply walked past him and began to wash his hands, acting as though he was very interested in the soap all of a sudden. 

When Joachim stepped out of the cubicle a few moments later, Jason was still standing there, leaning against the sinks, and it appeared that he was waiting for him. Sighing, the German-Spaniard made to wash his hands and the whole time that he was doing so, he couldn't help but notice that Jason was continuing to stand there, watching him. 

"Why, exactly, are you staring at me like that..?" he asked, drying his hands. 

"Look... I need to talk to you," Jason said rather hesitantly, twisting his hands together as though he was really nervous. 

"Well, I don't want to hear again how shit I am at everything and how I ruined the first half of the show tonight, so-" 

"You didn't." 

Joachim turned round from walking out the door so quickly that he almost fell over, unable to believe what he had just heard come out of the Australian's mouth. 

"I'm sorry.. what?" 

"You didn't ruin the show at all. I.. it was horrible of me to say that to you. I-I went too far with that. And.. and I'm sorry. And I'm.. I'm really glad that your second solo went as well as it did, especially as.. as you really love that song. You can sing, Joachim." 

The German-Spaniard once again could hardly believe what he had just heard. Since he had joined the school, that was the first kind word that Jason had said to him, and one of the only times that Jason had called him by his first name and not his surname. He didn't quite understand why Jason was being pleasant towards him all of a sudden, but he welcomed the change, and realising that he hadn't responded to the awkward- looking Jason, he finally managed to croak out, "thanks, Jason. I appreciate that." 

They simply stared at one another for a moment more, before Jason broke the silence. 

"I have to go now.. my dad is probably getting really impatient down there. Plus, we have a dinner reservation shortly. But.. have a good Christmas, Joachim." 

"You too, Jason," Joachim nodded, and with that, Jason nodded at him and headed out the bathrooms, leaving the German-Spaniard frozen to the spot, beyond shocked. When he had seen Jason come out that cubicle, he had fully expected him to shout at him, or insult his singing, or berate him for ruining the first act of the show. 

But he hadn't. 

Realising that his friends and family were probably waiting for him, Joachim took a deep breath and headed back downstairs to the auditorium. His parents were already standing with Motsi and Jorge's families, and whilst the parents chatted, Jorge was giving a very hyperactive Oti and Phemelo piggybacks. 

"At the restaurant, can I sit next to you, Jorge? Please?" Phemelo asked. 

"No! I want to sit next to Jorge!" Oti whined, looking as though she was about to cry.

"You can both sit next to me, I have two sides," laughed Jorge, which made both of them smile once again. "Hey, Joachim." 

"Joachim, darling! You were fantastic," Veronica exclaimed, enveloping her son in a hug. "We're so proud of you." 

"You did so well to come back on and do your second solo after you forgot your first!" Silvana agreed. "That takes a lot of guts." 

"That's exactly what we were telling him, Mami! Forgetting words is something that can happen to anyone, and - oh! I just realised! Joachim, this is Pablo, my big brother. Pablo, this is Joachim. He's the one that loves golf." 

"Lovely to meet you!" Pablo smiled, shaking Joachim's hand. "Jorge's told me so much about you, I feel like I already know you!" 

"Lovely to meet you too," Joachim chuckled. "And I've heard so much about you too." 

"As your mum and my mum already said, you were amazing carrying on after you forgot your words. That's something admirable," Pablo said, as Alejandro offered them all a mince pie. "Uhhh, no thanks, Papi. You know I don't like mince pies." 

"Me neither!" Joachim exclaimed. "They're horrible inventions." 

"You've both got no taste," Jorge replied, as he took a mince pie from his dad and began to eat it, suddenly feeling ravenous. "Papi, what did you think of the show..?" 

"It was really good," smiled his father, which made Jorge glow with pleasure, "and you were fantastic up there, Jorge. And you really saved the situation when Joachim forgot the words." 

"Yeah, Jorge, you've really come a long way since-" 

"Pablo, don't you dare." 

"Oh, I think I know what you guys are talking about!" Motsi laughed, catching on. "Oh, Jorge, that was iconic!" 

"What on earth are you guys even talking about..?" Joachim asked, raising his eyebrows in a quizzical fashion. 

"In Jorge's first ever nativity play," began Pablo with a teasing smile, "he played one of the three kings. He was the one that had to carry the gold. Anyway, as he walked across the stage, so proud of himself-" 

"Pablo, I will pay you to stop talking right now." 

"He tripped over his own feet," Pablo continued with a grin, "and got really angry with himself, shouted "GOLD!", threw the gold at Mary and Jesus's feet, and then stormed off the stage and burst into tears." 

"You didn't!" Joachim began to laugh. "Jorge!" 

"I was five years old!" Jorge protested, though he was smiling too. "Joachim, have I ever told you the story of the time Pablo found out-" 

"All right, Jorge, that's enough," Silvana chuckled, cutting her younger son off mid-sentence, collecting up her bag. "Shall we all go and get ourselves some dinner..?" 

"Yes! Mami, where are we going to go..?" 

"We thought we might go to that new pizza place that opened a few weeks ago," Silvana answered his question. "If that's okay with all of you?" 

"Fine by me!" Jorge nodded, and after saying a quick goodbye and Merry Christmas to their teachers, he came back, grinning radiantly. 

"Are we going then..?" 

.. 

"So, what happened..?" Motsi enquired, as soon as the three of them had a private moment together. 

On the way to the restaurant, Joachim had told his friends that there was something he needed to tell them when they had a moment alone, and now was that moment, as the trio sat watching Oti and Phemelo playing in the play area before their dinner arrived. 

"I bumped into Jason in the toilets back at school, just before I came downstairs." 

Jorge's face darkened at the mention of the boy he so disliked. "If he's said anything bad to you, I swear I'll-" 

"Actually, he said that he was sorry for telling me I ruined the show, and that he was glad that my second solo went well, and that I can sing." 

Jorge's jaw practically dropped to the floor at the revelation, and Motsi's expression changed to one of utter surprise. 

"I'm sorry, what did you just say..?" 

"I wasn't expecting that either, but yeah.. that happened." 

"Well, I'm not really sure what to say," replied the Cuban, "as I fully wasn't expecting you to tell us that.. but I'm glad you got an apology. That's the very least you deserved." He waved up at Oti, who looked really proud of herself for getting as far up the climbing frame as she had. 

"Guys.. thank you so much for tonight," Joachim said suddenly, as they sat watching Oti and Phemelo, who were now preparing to climb down the climbing frame. "Thank you for convincing me to go back on for the second half.. and thank you for looking after me. I'm sorry." 

"One day, Joachim, you're going to realise that you literally never have to be sorry for anything," Jorge chuckled. "Seriously though, I'm just so glad that you went back on and that your second solo went so well. And I'm so proud of you." 

"And I'm proud of you both too. Motsi, your singing was amazing-" 

"I wouldn't say that, but thanks, Joachim!" 

"And Jorge, you really saved that song we did together. Without you that would have completely crashed and burnt." Joachim beamed. "And now we're on holidays, we have Christmas and New Year to look forward to, and we've finished with mock exams." 

"We have!" Jorge grinned, performing a spontaneous and extremely neat backflip just as his brother came outside to find them. 

"I was not expecting to come outside to that," Pablo laughed, "but guys, I just came to tell you all that the food has arrived." 

"We're coming," Jorge replied, as Oti and Phemelo came rushing over, still full of energy despite it being past both their bedtimes, and began to drag him inside. "Come on, guys! Let's go and eat half our body weight in pizza." 

Laughing, Joachim and Motsi followed, feeling extremely hungry all of a sudden as they sat down at the three tables that had been pushed together to accommodate the ten of them, and began to tuck into their pizzas. 

Joachim didn't talk much throughout the meal, munching his pepperoni pizza in almost total silence, preferring instead to just listen to the conversations of his friends and his family. He watched on as Jorge chatted to Oti and Phemelo, telling them all about what he was planning to do in Cuba and helping them colour in a picture of a dog in the colouring book provided by the staff. He listened as Motsi told funny Christmas stories, and talked about the plans she and her sisters had to decorate the tree on Christmas Eve and make gingerbread biscuits cut into festive shapes. He overheard the conversation that the three dads and Pablo were having about football, and the conversation that the three mums were having about Christmas plans. 

And as he took everything in, he sat there feeling a whole bunch of different emotions at once - pride because he had gone up on the stage after forgetting his first solo and performed the second solo really well, confusion over what had happened with Jason, and most of all.. 

Gratitude. 

He couldn't feel more grateful that he had the most amazing best friends in his life that supported him, no matter the situation.


	18. jorge 👠: photo

Christmas Eve evening, and Joachim was curled up on the sofa underneath a thick blanket watching one of his favourite Christmas movies. 

Whereas the first English movie that Jorge ever watched was blockbuster Avatar, the first English movie Joachim ever watched was The Polar Express. Though he had not understood much English at the time he watched it, he had really loved it and now could appreciate it even more now that he was a practically fluent English speaker. Whilst he watched the movie in the lounge with hot chocolate and a packet of marshmallows, his mum was in the kitchen getting things prepared for tomorrow, and his dad was out doing very last minute Christmas shopping. 

It had been a quiet few days in the Llambi household. Jorge had flown to Cuba a couple of days ago with his family, so he had been more quiet than usual, catching up with everyone and enjoying being back in his birth country. Motsi had also been quieter, getting ready to spend Christmas with her sisters and mum, and some other family members who had surprised them by coming over for the festive season. Joachim had been mostly spending the days watching TV, doing the odd bit of holiday homework, and relaxing after what had been a very stressful few weeks of constant revision and examinations. 

At that moment, his phone began buzzing several times in a row and he picked it up to see that Motsi and Jorge were messaging in the group chat they had just for them. They had a group chat with Craig and Jonathan too, but they also had one just for the three of them, which they frequently messaged in. 

Jorge 👠: how is everyone's Christmas Eve going ??

Motsi 💃🏿: currently watching The Polar Express 😍

Jorge 👠: what an incredible movie !! I'm currently getting ready for our massive party tonight and wrapping last minute presents for relatives 😍

Smiling at his phone, Joachim quickly typed a message. 

Joachim 🏌️♂️: hola miss mejores amigos, what have I missed? 

Motsi 💃🏿: literally nothing , don't worry Joachim !!! What are you up to ?? ❤

Joachim 🏌️♂️: watching the Polar Express with hot chocolate and marshmallows 

Motsi 💃🏿: you're kidding !! We are watching it as well haha.. minus the hot chocolate and marshmallows 😂😂😂

Joachim 🏌️♂️: what a coincidence! How could you miss the opportunity to watch it though, when it's on? 

Jorge 👠: I'm afraid I'll have to miss that opportunity. I have one million and one things to do before my family get here at like 7pm 😂😂 

Jorge 👠: *photo* 

Jorge 👠: *photo* 

Jorge 👠: *photo* 

Jorge 👠: *photo* 

Jorge 👠: *photo* 

Jorge 👠: *photo* 

Jorge 👠: *photo* 

Jorge 👠: *photo* 

Joachim rolled his eyes at his phone, but he couldn't help but smile as he scrolled through the photos from Jorge, which were mostly of him and his family preparing for the party. In one, him and Pablo were moving tables and chairs into the garden, widely grinning at the camera as presumably either their mum or their dad took the photo. His best friend looked even more happy than he usually did, and that made Joachim so happy to see. 

Joachim 🏌️♂️: Jorge, my friend, we get it, you're in Cuba and tonight you're going to have a party with your entire family that probably makes up half of Cuba's POPULATION... 

Joachim 🏌️♂️: but seriously, I love the photos! You look so happy and that makes me so happy! 

Jorge 👠: thanks so much Joachim! I really am very happy! ❤anyways I must dash because i have, as I said, one million and one things to do before this party starts. My god, I wish you were both here with me tonight. You'd love it. I'll send you more pictures later, when the party actually starts. Love you both ❤

Motsi 💃🏿: we love you too Jorge !!! ❤❤ 

A few seconds later, another message came through from Motsi, but on their private chat, so that they wouldn't annoy the hell out of Jorge by messaging on the groupchat. 

Motsi 💃🏿: I love this scene so much 🥺🥺 absolutely my favourite !!! 

Joachim 🏌️♂️: I love this scene too! It's so touching! 

Motsi 💃🏿: seriously, this song makes me cry . I never realised when I was younger what it truly meant, and when I got a bit older and realised that the boy is singing about how he has never had Santa visit him before and realised that's because his family are poor... 😭 wow my eyes are blurry typing this 😭😭😭

Joachim wasn't really one to cry at movies - the only two movies that had ever really brought him to actual tears were A Dog's Purpose - he had watched that movie with Jorge and Motsi the year before and all three had ended up crying - and Marley and Me, but now he found himself welling up as the song ended. 

Joachim 🏌️♂️: I must admit, this one makes me feel emotional too. And I don't cry much at movies, as you know. 

Motsi 💃🏿: whereas I cry at cartoons 😂😂😂 after all these years , Bambi still makes me cry !!!! 

Joachim 🏌️♂️: yeah, you do.. but that's something that I love about you. ❤

Motsi 💃🏿: ❤❤❤❤❤❤

Joachim🏌️♂️ : did you and your sisters end up decorating the Christmas tree? 

Motsi 💃🏿: yes !!!! I can't believe I didn't send you a photo !!! I'll send you one right now !! 

Motsi 💃🏿: *photo* 

Motsi 💃🏿: here we are !! There are two angels on the top because ... well , Oti and Phemelo both made one, and had an argument over which one was better !!! so we decided to put them both on the top 😂😂😂😂

Joachim 🏌️♂️: it's so pretty!! If they want to make angles for our tree, then that would be wonderful! 

Joachim 🏌️♂️: angels**... wtf phone? 

Motsi 💃🏿: I'll get them on it . Obtuse, acute or right angles ? 

Joachim 🏌️♂️: ffs 😂😂😂😂😂

Motsi 💃🏿: I'm proud of that one 😂😂😂😂😂😂

"Is that Motsi and Jorge you're talking to?" Veronica asked Joachim, as she came in with a gingerbread biscuit for him to try. 

"Yep," Joachim nodded, taking a bite and smiling at the beautiful taste. "These are really good." 

"Glad to hear it. Are they both okay?" 

"They're fine," Joachim smiled. "Motsi's been decorating the three with her sisters and now she's watching The Polar Express like me. And Jorge is catching up with relatives at a massive garden party - in Cuba they tend to celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve. I remember Jorge telling me he was really surprised when they moved to Germany and he found that they celebrate Christmas Day on the 25th." 

"Well, up until I met your dad and moved to Germany, I celebrated three kings day, not Christmas Day," Veronica told him, referring to the fact that Spaniards celebrated their Christmas on 6th January instead of the 25th December. "Anyway, I'll leave you to finish your movie.. but if you want to come and decorate the Christmas cake after you're done, then that would be fantastic." 

"I will do," Joachim replied, nodding as he turned back to the TV. That was a tradition that he had every year, decorating the Christmas cake. "I'll be through after this ends." 

He continued to watch the movie, messaging Motsi every now and again about it, and when it finally ended, he headed into the warm kitchen. After putting his empty mug in the dishwasher and the empty packet of marshmallows in the bin, he washed his hands in the sink before beginning to decorate the tree. Each year they used pretty much the same small figures - little soldiers and Christmas trees and other Christmas- related objects - but Joachim always tried to make the top of the cake look different. 

He was just adding one last Christmas tree when his mum came back into the room, practically clapping her hands together when she saw Joachim's masterpiece. 

"That looks perfect!" she exclaimed. "Right, I'll go put this safely away until tomorrow." 

"Thanks, Mum! Would it be all right if I go and have a bath before I go to bed?" Joachim asked, eyeing the clock on the kitchen wall, which read 9:57. 

"Of course, darling. Your dad and I aren't going to be using it," replied Veronica with a smile, so Joachim grinned and headed upstairs to the bathroom, closing the door behind him, beginning to run himself a bath. Just as he was getting in, his phone beeped and he picked it up, taking care not to drop it in the bathtub, smiling to see that Jorge had messaged again. The party must be well and truly in full swing over in Cuba - it was late afternoon over there at the present time. 

Jorge 👠: so since we last spoke, we've transformed the house and the garden, and now I'm just here waiting for the relatives to arrive. Pablo's girlfriend has already arrived but we are waiting on basically everyone else 😂😂😂

Motsi 💃🏿: ahhhhhh have the BEST night !!! 😍😍

Jorge 👠: *photo* 

The photo was of Alejandro, Silvana and their two sons - an immediate family photo. They were evidently dressed ready for the Gonzalez family party, Silvana wearing a simple floaty dress, Alejandro and Pablo wearing similar shirts and shorts, and Jorge wearing black knee length shorts with diamonds on them and a hot pink shirt. Jorge was grinning at the camera widely, standing next to his older brother, in front of his mum, looking unbelievably happy. 

Joachim 🏌️♂️: lovely photo!! I'm just having a bath before I go to bed. 

Motsi 💃🏿: I'm already in bed 😂😂 oti and Phemelo fell asleep halfway through the movie and seeing as I know they will wake me up at 5am ..... i figured getting some sleep was maybe a good idea 😂😂😂

Jorge 👠: definitely my chica!! I probably won't be going to bed much before like 2 in the morning.... we have dinner at like 9.30 and then we open presents at midnight with the whole family 😂😂

Jorge 👠: talking of presents, I bought both of yours yesterday. You're going to love them!! 

Joachim 🏌️♂️: I have both of yours too. I need to buy Craig's birthday present though but I'll probably go to the boxing day sales for that. 

Motsi 💃🏿: good idea !!! Ahhhh I can't wait for tomorrow !!! I might be almost 16 but Christmas still gives me that warm fuzzy feeling !!! ❤❤🎄

Jorge 👠: Christmas is such a special time!! And I really hope you guys have the best day tomorrow! I'll probably be sleeping most of your day, but please keep me updated on what you're doing!! 

Joachim 🏌️♂️: I will do. To be honest, its going to just be a low key one for us as you know, we'll just wake up when we feel like it and open presents and everything at our own pace. My family like to have lie-ins on Christmas, now that I don't go bouncing on their bed at 5am screaming.. and I like lie-ins too so.. it works 😂

Motsi 💃🏿: that is exactly what will happen in the Mabuse household tomorrow 😂😂😂 Joachim my friend , be grateful you're the only child 😂

Joachim 🏌️♂️: well, a lot of the time I do wish I WASN'T an only child, but I guess the more sleep on Christmas day is an advantage of not having siblings... 

A brother or sister had been something that Joachim had wished for constantly when he was younger. Growing up in Germany and then during his first year or so in England he had felt really alone, struggling to make friends. He just didn't have that knack of making friends - his parents always told him to just go up to people and start chatting, but it just didn't work that way for the German-Spaniard. He was too nervous and shy to talk to people most of the time, and it seemed that whenever he did initiate conversation with someone, that person would either laugh at him, insult him to his face, or completely ignore him. Or be perfectly kind and sweet to his face, but then mock him behind his back - which was worse. Most of his childhood, he had just really wanted a sibling to confide in, who would always be there for him. He knew it would never happen - his parents only ever wanted one child, and made that clear from the start - but there was still hope in his heart that maybe one day, they might sit him down and tell him he had a brother or sister on the way. He had read billions of books where the characters had these siblings who they were really close with, and he had just wanted what they had. In fact, though it deeply embarrassed him to think about it now, he had invented an imaginary brother when he was about seven or eight, a boy five years older than him, named Thomas. And whenever he went out, or was in his bedroom alone, or was doing anything really.. Thomas would be there with him. His imaginary friend disappeared when he was a couple years older and actually made a friend or two, but he still found himself feeling lonely and really wanting a sibling. 

But these days, he had friends. He was no longer completely alone. He now had Jorge and Motsi in his life, and he considered them the siblings he never had. 

Jorge 👠: well guys, I wish I could stand around chatting for longer, but I'm afraid that I must go. My family are beginning to arrive! I'll send you photos later, I'll try and remember the time difference though... remember when I woke you up at half past three in the morning in the summer when I was in Cuba, Joachim? 😂

Joachim snorted. He remembered that very well, getting woken up at 3.30am by a phone call from Jorge. He had thought it was something urgent, that Jorge was upset or needed him, but actually the Cuban had just been calling for a late-night chat, having forgotten that he was several hours behind the UK. 

Joachim 🏌️♂️: surprisingly, I do still remember that, Jorgito 😂 I'll turn my phone on silent when I'm asleep, don't worry. 

Jorge 👠: perfecto! Right, must dash - but I'll talk to you guys later, okay? I hope you both sleep well, and that you have great Christmases.. if you like we can arrange a call in your evening to chat, trust me when I say my family will not be doing much at all on Christmas Day 😂

Joachim 🏌️♂️: sounds good!! I'm definitely up for a call. 

Motsi 💃🏿: me too !!! Just let me know what time later and I'll be ready 😍

Jorge 👠: perfect!! Sleep well, guys, and I'll chat later - you know I love you ❤❤

Motsi 💃🏿: we love you too, Jorge !!! Have the best Noche Buena and enjoy yourself to the fullest ... !!!! ❤

Joachim 🏌️♂️: have a great time, mate. Enjoy being with your family! Can't wait to hear all about it! 

After typing his final message, Joachim put his phone away somewhere where it wouldn't get wet, and sank further down into his bed, soon finding himself completely relaxed and beginning to feel pretty sleepy. 

.. 

For reasons that were unknown, Joachim found himself waking up at 5am. Reaching over to the bedside table to grab his phone, he smiled as he saw that he had received several private messages, from Jorge and from Motsi. 

Jorge 👠: *photo* 

Jorge 👠: *photo* 

Jorge 👠: *photo* 

Jorge 👠: *photo* 

Jorge 👠: *photo* 

Jorge 👠: *photo* 

Jorge 👠: *photo* 

There were at least 30 photos that Jorge had sent over the last few hours, and in all of the ones he was in, he continued to look beyond happy. At the very bottom there was a video of Jorge having a dance competition with his brother, easily outshining Pablo in Joachim's humble opinion, and then there was a longer message. 

Jorge 👠: I know you're asleep right now but for you now I can officially say merry Christmas, Joachim! I hope you have a wonderful day and say Merry Christmas to your family for me! Enjoy yourself, I'm just about to open presents and then I'm going to bed and having a long LONG lie in 😂 love you!! 🎄🎁

Joachim smiled before he typed back a message, still bleary-eyed and half-asleep. 

Joachim 🏌️♂️: thank you so much Jorge! Have a wonderful rest of the evening and enjoy opening your presents. Can't wait to call you later! Love you too. 

Joachim 🏌️♂️: P.S: I'm awake at 5am, I have no idea why. I'm going back to bed for at least another 5 hours. 

And after replying to Motsi, who was up and ready for the day now that her sisters were awake, that was exactly what Joachim did.


	19. merry christmas

As soon as Jason awoke on Christmas morning, he had this gut feeling that it was going to be an amazing day. Christmas Day was usually a very restful day for the Gardiner family, where everyone got up after a long lie in, exchanged presents, and then had lunch and watched festive TV together. All very lowkey. Jamie usually spent a lot of the day in his room playing video games, usually online sports where he could play against his friends, and so sometimes Christmas could be a little bit lonely for Jason. 

One year he did spend the day with Ashley and his family, but now most years, his best friend went on holidays to exotic countries with his brother and rich parents. This year, the Banjos had jetted off to the States along with Perri, spending Christmas in New York with some family friends, and Jason couldn't help but feel a tiny bit jealous of his friend. The States, specifically New York, was definitely somewhere that Jason wanted to visit one day in the future. 

But this year, the idea of spending the festive season with Craig, who had now become one of his dearest friends, and his family, really excited Jason. He was still slightly cautious about being around him, because of everything, but nowadays he couldn't help but like him. He was just so sweet, so lovely, so understanding, and really seemed to care about Jason like not many people seemed to. How could he possibly hate someone like that? 

Getting up out of bed, Jason was surprised to see that his alarm clock already read 11.30am. The Horwood family were to arrive at 1, so that gave him 90 minutes to get ready. The earliest that he ever got up nowadays on Christmas day was around 10, simply due to the fact that he didn't have really young siblings that wanted to get up at ungodly hours to see if Santa had been - Jamie was younger than him, but had stopped believing in Santa years ago. 

Going into the bathroom and getting undressed, Jason ran himself a hot bath to start off his day in a relaxed fashion. As he lay there luxuriating, he checked his phone for any messages, surprised to see that he actually had several notifications. All of his classmates had sent him some form of Merry Christmas message, even Joachim, though his text was literally just "Merry Christmas Jason", without any emojis or kisses or anything like that. Replying to them quickly, making sure not to drop his phone in the bathtub, he left Craig's message till last, which really put a smile on his face. 

Craig: merry Christmas Jason!! Can't wait for today, it's going to be AMAZING sharing Christmas with you :) 

Realising that time was ticking, Jason got out of the bath and got dressed in one of the numerous Christmas jumpers he had accumulated over the years. Every single year his grandmother in Australia sent him and Jamie new handmade Christmas jumpers, and although some were quite frankly hideous, he loved them all because he knew how much effort she put into making them. He just had time to brush his hair and do a quick tidy of his room, and then right as he was about to reply to Craig's sweet message the doorbell rang. 

"Jason! Jamie! The Horwood family are here!" Pamela called. 

"Coming, Mum," Jamie and Jason called back in unison, and raced downstairs to where Craig and his family were just coming into the house. Craig was wearing a Christmas jumper with the emblazoned message "having a fab-yule-lous time" and was wearing a massive pair of antlers on his head, looking really in the festive spirit. 

"Merry Christmas, Craig!" Jason cried, actually feeling so happy to see him, so happy that he ran over and gave him a huge hug. This greatly surprised Craig for Jason was not really a hugs person, but he returned it with pleasure. "Sorry I didn't answer your message - just as I was about to answer it, you got here!" 

"Merry Christmas, Jason," he said happily, "and that's okay!" 

"Merry Christmas, all of you," Jason said, smiling at the whole family. "And merry Christmas, Mum and Dad!" 

Seeing Craig and his family looking slightly confused, he explained, "I've only just woken up and since I've been up I've been getting ready. This is the first time I've seen mum and dad today, so.." 

They laughed, understanding what he meant. 

"So you're not an early riser on Christmas then, Jason?" Bev asked. 

"Nope, I'm never up much before 10am on Christmas day," Jason explained. "Jamie and I-" he stopped himself from saying don't believe in Santa, seeing as he knew that Craig's younger siblings still did believe. He wasn't that hard-hearted that he would ruin the magic of Santa and Christmas for some younger children, like someone once did for him. He remembered it well, it was a boy in his class named Anthony who ruined it for him, at the age of seven. He was devastated at the time, felt as though he had been crushed when he realised. 

"Because we're older now, we're more than happy to let our parents have a lie in." 

"Well, we've been up since 5.30am," replied Bev, laughing. "Trent and Melanie came running in at that time screaming that Santa had been. Maybe we should take a leaf out of this family's book, guys?" 

Everyone laughed at that comment, and Jason turned to Craig, grinning "come on up to my room! We can chill there until it's time to eat." 

And after being told to come down in 20 minutes for Christmas lunch, Jason dragged Craig up the stairs excitedly, feeling in his heart that this was the start of the best Christmas Day of his life. 

.. 

If you had told Craig or Jason three months ago that they would be spending Christmas with each other, they would have laughed in your face and told you to think again.   
But, unbelievably, they were sitting round the table together with their respective families for Christmas dinner, and Jason and Craig had never felt closer to one another than they did that day. Craig considered the change in Jason remarkable - he really had changed so much since the day that he gave him that Little Shop of Horrors drawing. 

The food was beautiful- Jason's parents were absolutely amazing chefs, in Craig's opinion - and there was so much of it. They all ate and ate till they were absolutely stuffed and could barely move for the amount they had eaten, enjoying everything that was on the table - the pigs in blankets, the gammon and turkey, the vegetables, the potatoes, and the stuffing. 

"You like stuffing?" Jason laughed, as he saw Craig pile stuffing onto his plate. 

"I don't like it.. I love it," replied Craig, reaching across to pull a cracker with Melanie, trying to go easy so that she could win. "Don't you..?" 

"I hate it! I don't understand how you can eat it," Jason laughed, and Craig thought that smiling really suited him. "But oh well - we all have different tastes, I suppose." 

After their meal, which took about two hours in total, everyone went across to the Christmas tree and sat down underneath it to exchange presents. Jason's presents for Craig were a Cats themed shirt and a door sign with a quote from the musical Annie on it, which he shyly presented to his fellow Australian. 

"I love Annie. The character really resonates with me.. you know," Jason said in a whisper, making sure his parents weren't listening, and Craig nodded. He didn't have to finish his sentence for Craig to understand him. 

Craig was really taken aback by these sweet presents but in a very good way, and gave him a hug which he returned, again rather surprisingly, with pleasure. 

Craig in return gave him a box of Ferrero Rocher chocolates (which he apparently had a slight addiction to) and a My Fair Lady drawing, which pictured Henry Higgins and Eliza Doolittle together, Colonel Pickering in the corner, Henry attempting to teach Eliza how to properly speak. 

"Craig, I'm not being funny - why didn't you take GCSE art?" Jason asked, shaking his head. "Because you genuinely would have been brilliant at it." 

"My sister did it before me," Craig nodded at Susan, who was talking to Jason's mum about the books she had received, "and it caused her so much stress. I didn't want to put myself through that." 

"Fair enough," Jason shrugged. "You would have been amazing though." 

After the present exchanging, which took over an hour as there were so many people exchanging them, everyone sat down to watch TV and just chill out for the rest of the afternoon. Jason and Craig sat on the sofa together, on their phones, half watching the TV, where The Polar Express was playing. Thinking of Joachim and Motsi and it being a favourite movie of theirs, he immediately sent a photo through to them, and they both replied back with heart emojis, saying how they had watched it last night in their respective homes. 

"Ashley wishes you all a merry Christmas and says that he wishes we were there in America with him," Jason said suddenly, showing everyone a message from Ashley. There was a photo attached, a photo of him standing in front of the Disneyland sign with his arm round another boy about the same height, grinning. 

"Say that we hope he's having a great Christmas too, and send our love to them all," Pamela said, and smiled. Jason nodded and typed back a reply, smiling.

"Does Ashley have two brothers? I thought he only had Jordan.." Craig asked with a confused expression, pointing at the boy he had never seen in the photo with Ashley.

"No, Jordan and Ashley are their parents only two sons. That's his friend, Perri Kiely," replied Jason, with a laugh. "You know, the one I told you about? Perri's very rich parents paid for him to go there as well. And Ashley's family adore him, though they do wish Ashley would take after me in regards to academia, so they didn't mind at all."   
He paused, before asking shyly, "Can I post a photo with you?" 

"Sure!" Craig smiled. 

"Mum, can you take a photo of us underneath the tree?" Jason asked, turning to his mum, who nodded. 

Jason pulled Craig up from the sofa and the two of them stood underneath the tree together. Draping their arms around one another, they grinned at the camera and Pamela snapped a photo. 

"Can you send that to me? I'd love to put that as my new screensaver," Craig requested as they looked at the photo together, and Jason looked suddenly touched. 

"Of course," he smiled back, and sent it across to Craig, before typing out a caption, which he showed Craig to get his approval. And this time, Craig was the one that was touched, as he read it. 

Spending Christmas with someone who 4 months ago I wouldn't have dreamed of spending it with.. thank you thecraigrevel for making this Christmas truly special. ❤

"And thank you," he said, handing Jason back his phone and letting him post it. "Being with you at Christmas has definitely made it really special." 

Jason said nothing as they sat back down and curled up on the sofa again, merely went back to scrolling through Instagram, but he smiled and blushed slightly. 

"I've always loved this movie.. haven't.. Jason..?" Craig looked to his left to see that Jason had frozen suddenly, staring down at his phone in horror, his smile having disappeared completely. "Jason.. is everything okay..?" 

Jason sat there for a few moments more, unable to speak a word, before getting up and running upstairs as fast he could, choking out, "I'll be back in a minute, just got to go and do something quickly." 

Craig looked after him worriedly, wondering what had caused him to react like that. It had evidently been something on his phone that had upset him, but he had no idea what it could have been. And was it his imagination, or did he sound like he was just about to start crying as he ran up those stairs..? 

Craig sat back and tried to enjoy the movie, but even one of his favourite Christmas movies couldn't stop him wondering whether Jason was all right and what exactly had happened. And when the Australian didn't resurface after twenty minutes, Craig got up, worried, and said, "I'll go look for him." 

"Okay, thank you, Craig," said Pamela, who was also beginning to look concerned about her older son. In fact, the only Gardiner who didn't look particularly concerned was Jamie, who was still scrolling through his phone and eating chocolate after chocolate. 

Heading upstairs, Craig began his search for his friend. He knocked on his bedroom door, that being the most likely place that he was, and when there was no reply he gently pushed it open to check Jason wasn't in there. 

He was. 

He was curled up on his bed in the foetal position, hugging his pillow, tears running down his face as he gazed down at his phone. 

"Get out!" he shouted, turning off his phone immediately, anger flooding his face as he realised that Craig had come in and seen him the way he was currently. "Get out and leave me alone! I don't want you to see me like this." 

"It's okay," Craig said softly, sitting down next to him, knowing that he didn't mean to come across that way. It was merely just that he was embarrassed about Craig having seen him in such a state. "What's wrong? You know you can always tell me. I'm your friend, Jason." 

"It's complicated, and I don't want to upset you as well or ruin your Christmas," Jason replied, fiercely wiping his eyes. "Now get out!" 

"Try and explain, I won't judge you for anything, and you certainly won't ruin my Christmas. You could never do that," Craig told him, placing a hand on his shoulder, which he pushed away fiercely. "Tell me, Jason. I'm worried about you. You won't upset me, I promise." 

He sighed. 

"Fine," he snapped, backing down a little. "In short, at the last school I went to.. you know shit happened. And someone from there just sent me something that reminded me.. reminded me of things." 

"What did he say..?" Craig asked, tentatively, instantly hating whoever this someone was. Though he didn't have the slightest idea who he was, he still hated him for making someone as wonderful as Jason upset like this on what was meant to be a happy and festive day of the year. 

"It doesn't matter." 

"Jason.." 

"Craig, please, stop questioning me. I don't want to talk about it, especially not on Christmas Day." 

"But Jason.." 

"Craig, I said I don't want to talk about it. It's a long and complicated tale, and I'd need to tell you things that I'm just not ready to tell you. I'll tell you everything at a later date, like I said. I promise." 

Craig wanted to know what had happened to him so he could better understand and help him, but he knew he couldn't force him to come out with it when he obviously wasn't ready, so he just nodded and replied, "okay." 

"I.. I'm sorry I don't want to talk about it right now." 

"No, Jason, it's fine. Honestly. You don't have to apologise - I understand and respect that you don't want to talk about things currently." 

"I just.. I went through so much shit. Everything.." Jason began to talk, "I just.. you know, Craig, when I moved to this school, I really hoped that it would be the start of something new for me. I hoped that I would finally be able to get away from all the hit that happened and that I'd finally be able to put it behind me. But the second I walked into the classroom on my first day and saw Llambi was there, I realised that wasn't going to be the case. And now I realise it never will be. I just want the reminders of everything that happened to end.. you'd think that now I'd moved away from where it all happened it would all have stopped and become easier to deal with, but it hasn't gone away! I get reminded every day from seeing Joachim Llambi's face and at times like this.. and I just want it to go away!" 

Breaking off, Jason broke down in tears once again, this time crying like Craig had never seen him cry before. 

Craig wrapped his arms fully around him, cuddling him, and this time, he didn't pull away. Instead, he moved hesitantly closer. 

And as downstairs everyone watched Christmas movies and continued to enjoy the festivities, Craig lay there wordlessly with the boy that a few short months ago had practically bullied the hell out of him. Cuddling him as he sobbed his heart out, feeling closer to him than he ever had before, he wanted more than anything to take away whatever had upset him to this level and to know exactly why Joachim reminded him so much of it on a daily basis.


	20. about last night

The Horwood family didn't get home from the Gardiners till late that night, so late that it was past the bedtimes of all of Craig's younger siblings. As Bev attempted to get three hyperactive young children washed, into pyjamas and lastly into bed - with great difficulty - Craig went straight up to his room to think over and process what had happened earlier that day. 

This Christmas definitely had to go down as one of his personal favourite Christmases so far. Craig was one of those people who adored Christmas in general- from the food they ate to the amount of musicals on the TV, from the songs that were played everywhere he went to the lavish decorations that they put up in their home. His love for the festive season had not died as he grew up, and Christmas really was a time of year where his inner child came out. He had absolutely loved spending Christmas with Jason, who had become one of his closest friends, his own family, and Jason's mum, dad and brother - who were incredibly nice people. 

It had been a magical day, it really had - but Craig just couldn't stop thinking about how Jason had broken down in tears. It had hurt so much to see somebody he loved so much so upset, and he had felt so helpless as he sat there cuddling him close, letting him cry it out, letting him be vulnerable without the fear of any judgements. He had just been so unsure of what to say, what to do to make the situation better. Jason had ended up crying uncontrollably for 25 minutes, Craig not leaving his side once, making sure that he knew that he had someone there for him when he needed it most. After he calmed down from his crying fit, they had gone back downstairs, where they had continued to watch festive TV and eat snacks until they felt like they couldn't eat another thing. Jason had smiled, and laughed at the movie they watched, and made conversation, but he was much more withdrawn than before he started crying, and his eyes remained red for a while afterwards. 

The saddest part, however, had to be when Bev decided it was time the Horwood family returned home. At the door, Jason had hugged Craig once more, before saying so only he could hear, "I'm so sorry." Those three words had broken Craig - it hurt him so much that Jason felt as though he had to apologise for a moment of weakness. 

Pamela and Keith had been unsurprisingly worried about Jason, as had Jamie, and when they were all having a round of gammon sandwiches, Pamela had pulled Craig aside and asked him if Jason was okay. Craig had explained that Jason had received a reminder of something that happened at his last school, and that had made Pamela look absolutely furious and question immediately whether it was Joachim that was behind this. Craig had honestly replied that he didn't know, but as they were tucking into their light dinner, he had quietly asked his friend whether it had been. Jason had reassured everyone that it wasn't Joachim behind it, and that he wasn't just saying that in defence as he had no reason to defend the German-Spaniard, but his parents had still seemed very unsure about it. 

As he put on his festive pyjamas and climbed into bed, Craig's mind turned once more to wondering exactly what had happened to Jason in the past. Today's conversation had just intrigued him more. There was no way he would ever force Jason to come out with it when it was obvious he wasn't ready, but that didn't mean he wasn't extremely curious. He had his theories, but he was interested to know if he had joined the dots correctly. From what he had heard his fellow Australian say, Craig already knew without him saying it outright that he had been subjected to some degree of bullying in the past at his old school. And judging by the negative way that Jason spoke of Joachim and Joachim spoke of Jason, and the way that they acted towards each other, it seemed to be the case that Joachim was somehow part of that bullying. But the idea of Joachim bullying anyone, to Craig, was laughable. It seemed an impossible concept. He knew that sometimes, what Joachim said to and about Jason was hardly nice, but he just didn't seem the type to bully someone to the point Jason had evidently been bullied. Apart from Jason, Joachim was extremely nice to everyone - sometimes too nice - and it just seemed laughable that he would ever do anything that bad to make Jason hate him this much and be this affected by his past. 

Whatever it was, Craig just hoped that Jason would trust him enough to tell him the truth about everything soon. 

Joachim 🏌️♂️: Craig, are you free? Motsi, Jonathan, Jorge and I are going to call in a minute if you would like to join. 

Craig 🎤: I'd love to join! Call when you are ready, I'll answer! 

Texting his mum to tell her he was going to be on the phone for a bit, Craig settled back in bed and waited for his friends to call. About five minutes later, his phone began to ring, and he swiped to answer the call, being met with the faces of his three friends and his boyfriend. All of them were, like him, in their festive pyjamas and in bed, with the exception of Jorge, who was lying in his swimming trunks on a sunbed in the late afternoon sun. 

"So, mis amigos, how were your days?" Jorge asked now. 

"Really good!" Joachim smiled broadly. "Quiet - as you know it was just my parents and I - but we had a great day. We video called some of our relatives in Germany and Spain, played board games and ate a whole bunch of food, and then this evening we've been watching festive TV. How have your days been?" 

"Well, you see.. mine was extremely quiet as well. My dear brother got very drunk last night, and so slept till 2pm, so we all had to be deadly quiet. I went for a walk to the beach this morning, alone, and then when Pablo finally resurfaced, we all had lunch together and then just relaxed in the garden as a family. Tomorrow, we're going out on a boat, so I'm really excited about that." 

"My day has been anything but quiet," laughed Motsi, taking off the christmassy necklace she had been wearing around her neck and placing it carefully in her little jewellery box she kept on her bedside table. "Oti and Phemelo came in shrieking at 4.40am that Santa had been, so that was the end of my sleep. Sorry in advance if I fall asleep on this call, I'm absolutely exhausted. We opened our presents, had breakfast, watched a bunch of Christmas movies, had our Christmas dinner, Oti and Phemelo argued over the things that were in the Christmas crackers, and then we watched more movies and ate way too much chocolate." 

"That's relatable. I had chocolate coins for breakfast." 

"It's Christmas, Joachim, you're allowed!" Jonathan spoke for the first time since he had been on the call, and Craig smiled as he moved slightly and it became apparent that he was wearing his reindeer onesie. Craig had bought him that onesie last Christmas as part of his Christmas present and it greatly pleased him to see his boyfriend wearing it. "Mine's been really busy, but great! My whole family came over, and we had such a huge dinner that now I don't feel I want to eat until next year! And I got new gardening equipment and some new video games, which is exactly what I wanted!" His voice grew high-pitched as he spoke of his two passions - gaming and gardening. 

"You're going to absolutely love the present that I got you." Craig glanced over with a smile at the gift bag in the corner that had Jonathan's present inside. Inside it was a book about Kew Gardens, a place that Jonathan had visited on his birthday a couple of years ago and absolutely fallen in love with, and a flower-shaped photo frame with a photo of the two of them inside it. 

"And I hope you'll love what I got you too!" Jonathan replied, and Craig knew without a shadow of a doubt that he would love whatever it was that Jonathan had got him. Hia boyfriend was so incredibly thoughtful when it came to presents and always managed to get him - or make him - something truly special. He was so talented in that way. "Are you still coming over on New Year's Eve?" 

"Of course I am! Wouldn't miss it," responded Craig, "but I need to leave yours around lunchtime on New Year's Day, because I'm going ice skating with Jason that afternoon." 

Of course. Jason just had to be involved, didn't he? Jonathan nodded, but inside he felt extremely disappointed - he had planned a soft New Year's Day of watching movies snuggled up on the couch under his special blanket. But now, that was going to be cut short, all because Craig wanted to spend time ice skating with Jason. 

"I thought you hated ice skating?" 

"You've got to try new things, haven't you? Apparently Jason is really, really good at ice skating, so he's promised to teach me. You could come along if you wanted, Jonno." 

"No thanks. Ice skating isn't really my thing." The truth was, Jonathan had always wanted to give ice skating a go, but he didn't want to go with Jason and Craig. He could see it now - the three of them going ice skating together and Jason and Craig leaving him out, practically forgetting that he was even there. That was not something he wanted to experience, so it was easier to say that he simply didn't like the winter sport than anything else. 

"Okay, but if you change your mind, I'm sure Jason won't mind me bringing you along," Craig responded. "Anyway, my Christmas was interesting." 

"What happened? Do tell!" 

"Okay, so we had a wonderful day. The Gardiners were great hosts, and we had the most lovely dinner and afternoon watching festive TV together. But then towards the end of the day.. Jason saw something on his phone which upset him - he said it was a reminder of shit that had happened to him. He ran upstairs and I found him crying in his bedroom, where he stayed for half an hour, really upset. Joachim..?" 

"Was it me that sent something to him?" Joachim finished for him, practically snarling as he spoke the words. "No, it fucking was not me! I just love how when Jason's upset, I'm the first person that you accuse." 

"Yeah, why does Joachim always have to be the bad guy in your eyes?" Jorge snapped in defence of his best friend, unable to keep his mouth shut. "Joachim is supposed to be your friend, Craig!" 

"I was just.. he isn't the bad guy." Craig immediately wished that he simply hadn't said anything at all. "Joachim, I wasn't accusing you of anything.." 

"Oh yeah, it sure doesn't sound like it," a furious Joachim snapped. "And unless me sending him one message in the morning saying 'merry Christmas Jason' and nothing else is now considered to be bullying, then no, it fucking was not me." 

"Well, I'm glad that it wasn't you. I didn't think it was.." Craig smiled. "And I'm sorry if it came across as though I was blaming you.." 

"Yeah, it fucking.." 

"Jorge! It's Christmas! Craig's apologised for coming across that way - now please, let's just drop it," said Motsi, calm and rational as ever, and Jorge sighed and replied, "fine, chica, I'll stop. I'm sorry." 

"On a more positive note," Jonathan attempted to change the subject, "what did you guys get for Christmas? I've already told you what I got." 

"Almost enough chocolate to do a Mr Wonka and open a chocolate factory," Joachim said, reverting back to his usual cheerful self, "golfing stuff-" 

Jorge laughed as he swatted away a fly that had landed on his bare leg. "Oh Joachim, of course you got golfing stuff." 

"Some new clothes, and tickets to go and see a production of Joseph on the West End in the summer. And my grandparents in Barcelona sent me money to go and buy what I like. What did you get, Jorge?" 

"More sewing stuff, more new clothes, some books, and like you, Joachim, some money to do what I like with. What did you get, Motsi, chica?" 

"Dance shoes, some Spanish books so I can seriously practice my Spanish-" Motsi was serious about improving her fluency, after the disappointment of her Spanish oral exam earlier that month, "some money, and some new dresses. And Oti and Phemelo made me the most gorgeous angels, look!" She held up to the camera two clay angels. One was less lumpy, more detailed and more neatly painted (Phemelo's, as she was the older of the two girls), but they were both evidently made with love. 

"They're beautiful!" Jorge exclaimed. 

"I remember when we had to make Christmas ornaments and things in our art lessons. I'm honestly so glad I no longer have to do art, I hated it," laughed Joachim, who didn't exactly have positive memories of the compulsory art lessons he was forced to do once a week until he got to the end of year nine and transferred schools. 

"I actually quite enjoyed art-" 

"Yeah, that's because you're actually good at art, Jorge" responded the German-Spaniard in a dry tone, cuddling down under the covers. "Whereas I can't even draw a decent-looking flower." 

They chatted for a little while longer, until Motsi said that she really would have to go off the call otherwise she would fall asleep. Laying down in his bed, turning off the lights, Craig rested his head on the pillow and stared out the window at the starry night sky as his mind turned once again to thinking about what happened with Jason. 

He trusted Joachim. The German-Spaniard was many things, but he was not a liar, and if he said that he didn't upset Jason, then Craig believed he was telling the truth. In that case, with Joachim ruled out, Craig guessed that it was somebody from Jason's old school that upset him - somebody that he used to know. Exactly who it was he didn't know, but whoever it was really upset one of Craig's best friends, and for that he was furious. 

Craig had never been somebody to make New Year's resolutions. He had tried making them in the past, only to break them within a short period of time and end up feeling disappointed in himself. But that night, as he lay there stargazing until he finally dropped off to sleep, an idea for a New Year's Resolution planted itself firmly in his mind.

That being to win Jason's trust enough for him to finally feel comfortable talking about what really happened to him in his past. 

.. 

Jason didn't get to sleep until very late, only waking up at lunchtime when his rather concerned mother knocked on his door to tell him that they were having another big Christmas dinner (there was so much food left) and it would be ready in ten minutes. 

He hadn't slept until 5am, too much going on in his mind to sleep. Jason often didn't sleep very well, and last night he had lain awake almost all night, thinking about what happened when Craig was over and beating himself up internally for letting himself get in that state in front of Craig. He really hated to cry in front of anyone these days - even his own family members - he always tried to save his tears strictly for the pillow. Last night he had been so goddamn cryptic, and he couldn't have been more angry that he had let himself cry like that in front of Craig, especially on what was meant to be a happy day. One of the happiest days of the year, and he had ruined it - for his family, and for the Horwoods- and he was furious with himself. 

His parents had been so worried all of last night - and he knew that sleeping until almost 2pm hadn't made them any less worried. Since it happened, they must have asked at least 50 times if he was okay, and no matter how many times he tried to reassure them he was fine, they didn't seem to fully believe it. He had worried them sick enough times (in the last two years especially) and he really wished that he didn't. They had moved halfway across the country for him to be happier, he was away from where he was unhappiest now and leading a better life. He was at a school where he was happier, he was away from toxicity, and apart from having to spend several hours a day, five days a week in the same room as Joachim Llambi, things were much better. 

But he still caused them to worry so much. 

Sometimes, Jason wondered if his parents secretly wished they had adopted another boy, someone who wouldn't cause as much worry to them as he did. 

Getting up from the bed, Jason quickly dressed in a casual jumper and jeans before heading downstairs. In the dining room, his parents and Jamie were already waiting at the table for him, and he sighed at their concerned expressions. 

"Are you sure you're okay, darling?" Pamela asked. 

"Mum, I've told you about 50 times since last night, I am fine. I'm over what happened yesterday. You don't have to keep constantly asking me if I'm okay." 

"No need for that tone of voice, Jason. Your mum is just worried about you. You were very upset last night." 

Jason helped himself to food, serving himself a bit of everything except the stuffing onto his plate, before reaching for the gravy. As he poured some over his meal, he addressed his family, "look, Mum, Dad, Jamie. I appreciate the concern so much and appreciate that you care so much about me. But I've told you, I'm honestly fine." 

"Jason," Pamela began, knowing exactly how good of an actor her older son could be when he wanted to be, "I need to ask you something, and I need you to answer me truthfully, okay? No matter how hard it is. Was it Joachim that sent you a message to upset you last night..? Because if it was, I've not got any problems with going to the school about him." 

The conversation reminded him of one they had just over a year ago, at the dinner table, where Pamela had questioned whether what Ashley had told his mum was true. Jason had immediately broken down, sobbing uncontrollably, unable to keep it in any longer, letting down all of his defences. Shaking his head now, he replied, "it wasn't." 

"Jason, darling, you don't need to defend him.."

"Mum, I told you, if it was Joachim, I wouldn't be defending him. I don't have any reason to defend him. It's not like we are friends. It wasn't Joachim. He sent me a message-" 

"So it was him?" Keith looked furious. 

For the first time that mealtime, Jamie spoke up. 

"Jason," he said, "I go to the same school as you. If Joachim did cause you trouble, I'm more than happy to go and beat him up for you. You're my brother and I-" 

"Jamie, we will not be having any of that," Jason said firmly, bashing his fork on the table loudly. He knew without even looking over that his dad would think he was behaving badly, but he was simply desperate to actually be listened to. "And Dad, if you would actually let me finish my sentence-" 

"Mind your tone, Jason." 

"Sorry. But please, listen to me. He messaged me hours before I got upset. And his message just read 'merry Christmas Jason', and before you ask, I only have his number because we are all in a class group chat to ask about homework. Apart from that, he's not sent me anything. And if you don't believe me, I'm more than happy to let you look through my phone. I've got nothing to hide." 

"I don't need to. I believe you," Pamela said with a small smile. "But Jason.. if he does say anything to you, you tell us immediately, okay? I won't have him hurt you again." 

"I will, Mum. But I promise, yesterday was nothing to do with Joachim. And today I'm over it, and I'm absolutely fine." He smiled a little too widely, cutting into his roast potatoes. "See, I'm absolutely fine." 

But no matter how much he smiled, and how much he tried to reassure them he was okay.. he could tell that his family was still unsure.


	21. some things never change

It had only been ten days or so since Joachim last saw his best friends in person, but it felt like so much longer. The few days after Christmas, he had actually felt quite lonely - even though he could always message and call his friends, he still somehow felt a little lonely at home with not much to do now that the festivities were officially over. So getting to see them tonight would be an amazing feeling and he was so excited to see in the New Year with Jorge and Motsi. 

Currently, as he waited for them to arrive, his parents were getting ready to go out for the evening with some of their friends. It was a tradition in the Llambi household to go out on New Year's to parties with friends or to restaurants. Before this year, Joachim had always been forced to go with his parents, even though he wasn't a fan of parties and social gatherings. He had always spent the night reading a book or on his phone, and had every now and then made very awkward small talk with one of his parents friends who took pity on him sitting by himself. But this year, he could see in the New Year in the comfort of his own home with two of his best friends. 

"Mum," Joachim called, "do you have any wrapping paper..? Whilst I'm waiting for Jorge and Motsi I might as well wrap up Craig's birthday present." 

Joachim had gone out to the shops the other day, alone, to buy his friend a birthday present, wanting to be prepared. He wasn't exactly looking forward to Craig's birthday, because Jason would be there, but he was still going to go nonetheless and give Craig a present and be there for him on his sweet sixteenth like Craig was there for him. 

He just wished that Jason didn't have to be there. Of course, he knew that Craig just wanted all of his friends there on his birthday, but it almost felt like it was deliberate that the one person the German-Spaniard wasn't on friendly terms with at all had been invited. Jorge also didn't think it was fair, but both of them knew that they couldn't make a fuss about things - it was Craig's special day and it was one night only, after all. He could handle it. 

"Yes, there's some wrapping paper in the spare bedroom," Veronica called back. 

"Thanks!" Joachim made his way to the spare bedroom, which was used as a storage room these days as there was nobody to occupy it, and found a roll of wrapping paper in the wardrobe. It was plain blue wrapping paper, nothing fancy, and looking at it made Joachim think of his fifteenth, when Craig had given him a present wrapped in princess paper and said in an apologetic tone, "this is all we had in the house." 

Giggling at the memory, Joachim sat down on the bed and began to wrap up the present he had bought his Australian friend. He had bought him a skull top (Craig loved to wear anything with skulls on), and a new duvet cover with all different musicals on it, another of Craig's favourite things. Wrapping them up skilfully (he had always had a talent for wrapping presents, unlike Jorge), he stuck a label on the gift with "Happy birthday Craig!" on it in his own rather messy handwriting. It was at that moment that he heard the doorbell ring, and Veronica called out at the same time, "Joachim! Jorge is here!" 

Suddenly feeling incredibly excited and filled with joy, Joachim jumped off the bed and ran as fast as he could to the door, where Jorge stood waiting. Dressed in polka-dot trousers and his usual heeled boots, he looked exhausted but was still smiling. Joachim knew he was still jet-lagged from the flight home from Cuba that had only been two days ago, and had already planned that if he fell asleep before midnight, he would let him sleep but wake him up in time to see in the new year with him and Motsi. 

Jorge's flight home had been eventful to say the least. It had been delayed seven hours, meaning that they didn't take off until what was nearly 1am in the UK. Though they were exhausted, Joachim and Motsi stayed awake until Jorge messaged to say he was home safe and sound, keeping each other awake by calling one another and chatting. They had slept almost the whole of the next day, but it had been worth it to stay up to make sure their best friend and his family got home safe. 

"Hola, amigo!" Jorge gave his friend a hug. "How are you..?" 

"Better now you're here," Joachim replied with a smile. "How are you..?" 

"Exhausted and my sleep schedule is still fucked, but I'm good," answered Jorge, as the German-Spaniard showed him into the house. "Sorry in advance if I fall asleep halfway through the party." 

"Don't apologise! If you do, we'll let you sleep and wake you up in time for New Year," Joachim reeled off his plan, as Veronica approached them, smiling.

"Jorge! How lovely to see you. How was your holiday...?" 

"Fantastic, thank you!" Jorge grinned, putting down his huge bag, which Joachim rolled his eyes at. Jorge would never learn to travel light. "I had the best time with my family, and I was sad to leave them all behind again, but it's also so good to be back in the UK." 

"Joachim showed us some of the photos you sent him, and it looked like you had a great time." 

"Yeah! I really did, thank you. Wait, that's Motsi, right..?" 

"No, it's somebody pretending to be Motsi," Joachim rolled his eyes playfully as the two of them headed outside to greet Motsi, who was carrying a huge carrier bag as well as her overnight bag. "Hey!" 

"Hola, chica!" Jorge sang out his usual greeting as he ran outside into the garden to hug her. "How are you doing?" 

"I'm good!" Motsi grinned, hugging both Jorge and Joachim. "I'm so excited for tonight. Sorry I'm a little late.. I stopped off at the shops and I bought snacks." 

"Oh my god, she bought raisin bread!" Joachim's voice suddenly went very high- pitched as he noticed that one of his favourite foods was in the bag. "Motsi Mabuse, this is why you're my best friend." 

"Just for you, Joachim," laughed Motsi. "I bought other things too." 

"Well, why don't we go and unpack it in the house..?" Jorge suggested, "rather than standing out here in the freezing cold." 

Laughing, the three friends headed inside. After talking to Veronica for a little while longer, about Motsi's Christmas mostly, Joachim's parents headed out to the restaurant.

"Now, guys, there's lots of food in the fridge - so make whatever you like for dinner. Please, just don't trash the place and do try and get at least some sleep!" 

"Don't worry, Mum, we will," Joachim said sweetly. "When you come back, your favourite son and his friends will be fast asleep in a house that is as clean and tidy as you're leaving it now." 

"Joachim, you're their only.." 

"Jorge, that's the joke," Joachim laughed, with another eye roll. "Anyway, Mum, Dad, I love you. See you next year!" 

Everyone burst out laughing then at the truth behind his statement, and with that, Veronica and Markus left the house, leaving the three of them to their own devices. 

"Right guys, why don't you go and change into your pyjamas whilst I just go upstairs and get your Christmas presents..?" Joachim suggested- they had decided to exchange their Christmas presents at New Year instead of before Christmas. "Jorge, I'm hoping that you love what I've got you." 

"I'm sure I will!" Jorge reassured him, as he pulled his pyjamas out of his overnight bag and headed into the downstairs bathroom to get changed. 

"What did you get him..?" Motsi whispered, before Joachim went upstairs. 

"I got him a mug and.. remember that pair of heeled boots he wanted so much a few weeks ago when we went Christmas shopping together, but didn't have enough money for..?" Joachim attempted to jog the south African beauty's memory. When she nodded, he replied, "yes. I bought him them." 

"Joachim, he is going to absolutely love them." 

"I really hope so!" Joachim crossed his fingers as he ran up the stairs to grab the presents he had bought for his friends. When he came back down, dressed in his pyjamas and carrying two carefully wrapped presents, Motsi and Jorge were curled up on the sofa together and chatting. 

"I'm afraid that my presents for you aren't as elaborately wrapped," Jorge laughed, handing both Joachim and Jorge a very messily wrapped present each, the wrapping very lumpy indeed. 

"You wouldn't be Jorge Gonzalez if your presents didn't look like they were wrapped by a tortoise," Joachim laughed, sitting down on the carpeted floor. "Actually - I think Barker could probably do better. Now then, what is this?" 

"Joachim, I actually love you," exclaimed Jorge, as he unwrapped the leather boots with multi-coloured dots patterned all over them. "Thank you so much!" 

"You're welcome! I knew you were disappointed you didn't have enough money to get them when we went together, so I knew I had to buy them for you," Joachim replied. 

"And I love the mug.. but my name wasn't George last time I looked."

"It was the closest thing I could find.. It's the English version of-" 

"I know that, silly! I'm just teasing you," Jorge laughed. "I love it, Joachim, seriously. Thank you so much." 

Joachim smiled broadly as he unwrapped Motsi and Jorge's presents to him. Motsi had given him a photo of the three of them in a frame for his wall, taken on his birthday at the mini golf course, along with a book that he had been wanting, and she had thrown in the raisin bread as part of his present as well. Jorge had given him a keyring with I❤Cuba on it, and a.. rather colourful and plump stuffed bird plushie. 

"What is this, exactly..?" 

"It's called the Cuban Hutia. It's the national animal of Cuba," laughed Jorge. 

"Oh! I've never heard of it, but it's beautiful," Joachim replied, with a smile, stroking the bird as he unfolded the other item that was in the lumpy parcel - a t-shirt with his name on the back in scarlet capital letters. "You know, this might be about the first time in my life I've ever found something with my name on it! I found a keyring with Joaquin on it in Spain a couple of years ago, which is the Spanish version of my name, but I've never really- " 

"Try finding something with your name on with a name like Motshegetsi," Motsi snorted, as she delicately unwrapped her present from Jorge, which he had instructed her to be very careful with. 

He had got her a keyring identical to Joachim, but instead of a tshirt and bird plushie, the Cuban had bought her a clay model of a dancer that looked very similar to her, and a dainty little necklace with a tiny pink charm - a heart with two words engraved on it. 

Best Friend. 

"Thank you so much, Jorge!" Motsi hugged her Cuban friend, and Jorge whispered back, "you're welcome, chica!", absolutely delighted with the sewing box and sparkly cushion that Motsi had given him. 

"Right, I was thinking, shall we have that Just Dance competition now? And then have some dinner and then maybe watch some movies? That way, Jorge, if you want to get some sleep in before midnight, you can." 

"Perfect idea!" Jorge nodded, and Motsi agreed. 

"Okay, what do we want for dinner..?" Joachim questioned. "I'm nowhere near as good a cook as you, Jorge, not since you learnt all those recipes from your brother.. but I'm cooking tonight, I'm not letting my guests cook. I could make us spaghetti bolognese or something? And garlic bread..?" 

"That sounds good," Motsi replied, the idea finding favour with Jorge as well, so the German-Spaniard headed into the kitchen and got out all the things he would need to make the dinner. 

As he did so, Jorge and Motsi got Just Dance ready to play, and the Cuban did some stretching exercise, declaring that he was going to beat Joachim at least once, one way or another. 

"Yeah.. I'd like to see you try," Joachim laughed, coming back into the room. "Right, which one first?" 

They began with YMCA, and Jorge and Motsi quickly saw that Joachim's claims to have mastered all the dances was no exaggeration. Even when he fell over in the middle of Kids in America, tripping over his own feet as he did a spin, he still managed to outperform the others by several dozen points. 

Whilst Motsi went to get a drink and check on the dinner, Joachim and Jorge decided to do You're The One That I Want against each other, Jorge dancing as Sandy, Joachim as Danny Zuko. Motsi was just refilling her water bottle at the machine in Joachim's kitchen, when she heard them both beginning to argue, and as she came back into the room, Jorge was bouncing around and looking triumphant whilst Joachim stood with his arms folded, not looking pleased. 

"What's going on?" she questioned. 

"Joachim here is not happy because he finally found somebody who can beat him at Just Dance!" Jorge grinned triumphantly. 

"He so cheated," Joachim replied, though in his eyes there was a glimmer of pride in his best friend. 

"Well then, let's have a rerun," Jorge suggested, his eyes twinkling as he bounced up and down, ready to dance again. 

Though he was jet lagged, he was still extremely energetic. 

They had three repeats of the dance, even swapping over characters so Joachim was Sandy and Jorge Danny. But even though Joachim was dancing his hardest, he just couldn't beat Jorge. In the final round, he stormed out of the room in mock anger when he lost to Jorge again - by two points. 

"This is so not fair!" he exclaimed, though he was laughing as he said it. "Let's do another one, and I'll see if I can beat you on that." 

They made their way through the entire list of songs, and there were only three songs that Joachim didn't win on. One was You're the One That I Want, one was My Immortal (which was won by Motsi) and one was Vogue (which again was well and truly won by Jorge). Every single dance done, they collapsed onto the sofas, absolutely exhausted, and suddenly very ready for some dinner. 

Joachim went through to the kitchen to serve up the dinner he had made, whilst Motsi and Jorge continued to stay sitting down on the sofas together. 

"I am absolutely exhausted," Jorge announced, rubbing his eyes, yawning loudly. "I'm sorry, but there's no way that I'm staying awake till midnight." 

"It's okay," called Joachim, heading through to the dining room with the plates. "After we've eaten you can go to sleep. Motsi and I will wake you in time for the countdown, so you don't need to worry." 

"Thank you," Jorge smiled, as he and Motsi entered the dining room, sitting down side by side and beginning to tuck into their dinner. "Also, in advance, I'm sorry if I'm awake ridiculously early tomorrow. I'll try and be quiet." 

"That would be appreciated," Joachim said sarcastically, but there was a twinkle in his eye as he said it. "Don't worry about it, mate. I know what jet lag feels like." 

Jorge wound some spaghetti round his fork before sucking it up into his mouth. "Thank you! This is completely off topic, but what have you bought Craig for his birthday?" 

"A recipe book and some chocolates," chuckled Motsi, "you know how he's been learning to cook recently, just like you, Jorge." 

Indeed, the Australian had in the last year begun to enjoy cooking, and last time they all went round to Craig's house for the night, Craig had made everyone sausages and mash, and nobody had left anything on their plate. 

"Great choice, Motsi! I got him a skull top and a new duvet cover with all different musicals on it," Joachim told his friends, and Jorge cried, "that's perfect! I got him a bag of Revels-" 

"Oh, Jorge," sighed Motsi, laughing. 

"What? I had to," Jorge insisted with a laugh, taking another piece of garlic bread and beginning to dip it into the meat sauce. "Did you really think I was going to miss that opportunity? And then I got him a book he's been wanting for a long time and the same keyring as you two just received." 

"I'm really looking forward to his birthday," Motsi smiled. 

"I would be.. but.. you know the situation," replied Joachim, dully. 

"We are going to have a great time," Jorge insisted, his eyes flashing as he twirled another few strands of spaghetti round his fork. "And if Jason tries anything, I'll give him a piece of my mind. It's not like I can be given detention at Craig's house." 

"That's true!" Joachim laughed. "I just.. I know I sound horrible, but I wish he didn't have to come. It would make things a whole lot easier.. and just because he was nice to me once doesn't mean everything is sorted now. But-" he sighed, "I know that he and Craig are really good friends now, and I understand that Craig just wants everyone together for his birthday party, like I did."

"Things will be fine," Jorge reassured his friend. "And if he tries anything, as I said, he will have me to answer to. Now, on a more positive note-" he changed the subject, "did I tell you about how Pablo got really drunk at our party..?" 

They continued to eat as a progressively tiring Jorge told them the funny story, and as soon as they finished eating, the Cuban loudly yawned and said, "is it all right if I go to sleep for a bit? I'm sorry.." 

"As I already told you and as you always tell me, there is no need for you to be sorry," Joachim replied, beginning to clear away the plates. "Why don't you go upstairs and get some sleep up in my room? We'll come and wake you up before midnight, I promise."

"Sounds good. I'll see you later, guys," Jorge waved wearily, before heading up the stairs to Joachim's bedroom, where he lay down on the bed Joachim had made up for him and fell asleep almost instantaneously. 

"I'll go up and wake him at around ten to midnight," Joachim said to Motsi, as they quietly put all of the dishes in the dishwasher. "Right, what shall the two of us do whilst our Jorgito sleeps? Do you fancy doing some baking..?" 

"Sure!" Motsi nodded - she had been going to suggest they use Joachim's relatively new karaoke machine but then realised that maybe that wasn't the best idea. "What shall we make..?" 

After flicking through a recipe book belonging to Joachim's mum and deliberating, Motsi and Joachim decided to make a chocolate cake together. As they weighed out all the ingredients and made sure they had everything, they played some music softly, a random playlist of musical theatre songs that Joachim had found online. 

"You know, I was actually good at food tech at my old school," Joachim said suddenly above the noise of the mixer. "I was one of the top students." 

"Really? We never did food tech as a subject in Germany. Other schools did, but ours didn't- shame, as it would have been useful." 

"When I say I was one of the top students, it wasn't exactly hard to be. There were people in my class who - get this - didn't realise you had to turn on the oven to get food to cook inside it." 

"Are you serious?" Motsi exploded with laughter. 

"Motsi, I wish I was joking," Joachim responded, as he finished beating the mixture together and began to spoon the mixture into the cake tin. "It's so quiet without Jorge bouncing around the room, isn't it?" 

Motsi chuckled at the truth behind the German-Spaniard's statement. "It really is." 

"I guess we should enjoy the peace and quiet whilst we have it," Joachim joked, finishing the spooning of the cake mix into the cake tin and handing Motsi the spoon, before going to get a spoon for himself. "And I don't know about you, but now, time for my personal favourite part of baking." 

"Mood." 

.. 

The cake turned out magnificently. 

Whilst they were waiting for it to bake in the oven, the two friends just chatted, mostly about their childhoods in Germany, which was basically the basis of their first ever conversation. They talked about how they had felt when their parents had told them they were going to move - Motsi had felt excited to move but nervous, Joachim had had hope that maybe he might make friends when he moved - and told funny stories from their old schools, ones they had never told before. 

"Motsi..?" 

"Yes, Joachim?" 

"What was your first impression of me? I know that's a random question, but it's something I've always wondered.." 

Motsi chuckled as Joachim lifted the finished cake out of the oven carefully, putting it down on the table before rummaging through the cupboards and fridge to find some stuff to put on top. 

"Extremely shy, massively lacking in confidence, but very sweet and kind." 

"I was expecting you to say that," Joachim laughed, spreading the chocolate icing he had made a few moments ago onto the cake. "For you - extremely kind, confident, definitely, and bubbly, but not so much as Jorge. Jorge I was a little taken aback by at first as you know, not just because I didn't understand him very well but because he was just so talkative and energetic." 

"My first impressions of Jorge were also that he was talkative and energetic," Motsi laughed. "He was forever getting told off in primary school for being too loud."

"Some things never change." Joachim stopped searching for things to put on the cake and instead pulled out some grapes from the fridge. It was a Spanish tradition to eat 12 grapes at midnight - one with every clock bell strike - to bring Spaniards good luck. Joachim wasn't sure whether it was really all that lucky, but it was something he had grown up doing and he still did it, despite never living in Spain properly. 

"Do you want to do the grapes thing with me?" 

"Of course." 

Joachim smiled at her, getting out three plates (knowing that Jorge would want to do it too, it was also a thing in Cuba) and arranging twelve grapes on each one. 

"Right, let's get this cake decorated, put it in the fridge, and it'll just about be time for us to go and wake Jorge up." 

The two of them decorated the cake very elaborately with different sweets that Joachim had managed to find in the kitchen - mostly smarties, but a few jellybeans and some rainbow sprinkles as well. As they finished, the clock struck ten to twelve, which prompted Joachim to run upstairs to wake up his friend to join in welcoming in the New Year. Upon opening his door, he smiled to see that Jorge was still sleeping, taking up all of his bed, his face buried in his pillow. 

Gently sitting down next to him, he shook him, and Jorge immediately sat up, groaning but looking a lot more refreshed than he had a couple of hours ago. 

"What time is it?" 

"Ten to midnight." 

"Did I miss anything?" The Cuban asked, as he stood up from his bed and stretched. 

"Motsi and I made cake, and chatted about our childhoods in Germany, but apart from that, no, you missed nothing." 

"I hope you saved me cake." 

"No, we ate it between us and saved nothing for you," replied Joachim drily, bursting out laughing at Jorge's gutted expression. "Oh, come on, Jorge, do you really think Motsi and I are that mean..? It's in the fridge, we'll have some later. Now come on, let's go downstairs!" 

"Thank goodness, I was thinking you really had left me out there for a moment," Jorge laughed, following Joachim down the stairs. "Hola, chica! I'm awake now." 

"Welcome back, Jorge!" Motsi handed him one of the plates of grapes that Joachim had prepared for them. "Shall we go out in the garden so that we can watch the fireworks?" 

"You know, I used to be terrified of fireworks," Joachim laughed, as they headed out into the cold garden, Jorge putting his arms around them both to try and keep them warm. "Remember how I told you my parents always used to drag me along to social gatherings on New Year? I remember when I was much younger, I used to crawl under things - tables, usually - and start crying. One year we all went to a restaurant in Spain with my mum's side of the family, and I started crying, crawled underneath the table and refused to come out. Now I think about it.. my parents must have been mortified. There were others just trying to enjoy the fireworks and there was this child sitting underneath a table, hands over his ears, crying loudly." 

"Bless your heart," Motsi laughed, as she watched the time on her phone. "By the way, Jorge, just before Joachim woke you up, we were talking about what our first impressions of each other were. I was saying that my first impression of Joachim was that he was really shy but really kind, and that you were talkative and energetic. What was your first impression of both of us..?" 

"Oh lord, that's a good question," Jorge grinned. "Motsi, it was a long time ago but I remember thinking that you were really shy and quiet, and then when I saw you sitting alone that breaktime I felt so sad for you. Joachim.. pretty much the same. I remember seeing you on the first day and I could see how nervous and shy you were about being at a new school and I could sense how much confidence you lacked. Which really made me sad, because you're such a wonderful person and it made me so sad that you didn't realise it at all. I was a little unsure whether I should talk to you at first, because apart from the fact you have Spanish as a first language and that you lived in Germany for several years just like me, I just didn't know what to talk to you about. But then Motsi wasn't in that day and I saw you alone so decided to chat to you and well, now.. I'm so glad I did." 

"Because look where we are now!" Joachim chuckled, playing with the grapes on his plate. "Jorge.. my first impression of you was that you were very talkative, extremely energetic..." 

"As I said earlier, some things never change, because that was my first impression of Jorge too.." 

"And I must admit.." 

"What?" Jorge raised his eyebrows. "Go on." 

"Don't hate me." 

"I could never hate you." 

"Okay.. I thought you only came to talk to me because Motsi was off school and you were bored without her, and that you would leave me when she came back," Joachim finished his sentence. "And as you know, I wasn't too sure how we would ever get on and understand each other at first." 

"Oh, Joachim! Yes, I was bored without Motsi, but I didn't talk to you just because of that," Jorge chuckled. "I talked to you because you seemed a genuinely nice person.. remember that time that I helped you in drama class and you sent me a message on Instagram that evening thanking me? And I saw you sitting alone every day and decided that if nobody else was going to make you a friend.. I would. And look where we got to." 

"Guys, I hate to interrupt, but its 23.59. Have we got the grapes at the ready?" 

"Indeed we have!" 

A few seconds later, fireworks began to go off in all directions. In the distance, the bell began to chime, indicating that the new year had indeed started. 

With each chime, the three friends ate a grape, making sure they got them all down but simultaneously making sure that they didn't end up choking. And as the trio swallowed the final grape, Jorge pulled Joachim and Motsi in for a group hug, saying softly, "happy new year, guys! May this be our year." 

"Happy new year," Joachim said simply, cuddling close to his two best friends, feeling beyond grateful for them. "I love you both so much. I'm so grateful that we get to be friends the way we are.. I really am." 

"And we love you," Jorge declared. "Even if you do put the milk before the cereal and think its acceptable to drink milk on its own. Here's to another year of our friendship!" 

..

*photo* 

joachimllambi: Happy New Year, I could not be more grateful for these two. ❤

TheJorgeGonzalez: I'm so grateful to have you in my life joachimllambi ❤

motsimabusexo: awww Joachim !!! I'm beyond lucky to have both you and   
TheJorgeGonzalez as my best friends.. I love you both !!!! Happy New Year ❤


	22. the ice rink

Whilst Joachim, Jorge and Motsi spent New Year together, playing Just Dance, baking and having fun together, Craig saw in the New Year with his gorgeous boyfriend. The two of them had the movie marathon Jonathan had planned on, mainly watching musicals, something that Craig had pretty much introduced Jonathan to in the time they had been friends and then, of course, boyfriends. Jonathan just wasn't a theatre person before he knew Craig - the Australian had really opened his eyes to the beauty of the industry and given him a love of theatre he thought he would never have. And though he didn't want to end up on the stage like Craig - his talents lay elsewhere- Jonathan now loved watching musicals and plays, and admired just how talented and hardworking these actresses and actors were. 

At midnight they found themselves in Jonathan's small but beautifully kept front garden, watching the brightly coloured fireworks shoot into the sky, sharing a kiss as the clock bell chimed. Craig couldn't have felt any more blessed to go into a new year with someone so wonderful by his side, and he had fallen asleep two hours later holding Jonathan's hand, a smile on his face. 

The morning had mostly been spent continuing to watch movies, then Craig had left Jonathan's at lunchtime to go home and get his stuff together for ice skating with Jason. Ice skating wasn't really something he had ever considered doing before, but he was interested to see exactly how good he was and exactly how good Jason was. He knew, from a shy conversation they had a couple weeks ago, that Jason enjoyed watching videos of ice dancing in his spare time, and that he went ice skating every winter, so he could only guess that he was pretty good. 

The ice rink wasn't actually that far from Craig's house so he walked there, wondering if Jason would be there before him. Arriving at the venue, he smiled to see that Jason was indeed there already, bundled up in about three jumpers, a coat, a hat and a scarf, grinning widely. 

"I'm wearing all these layers and I'm still freezing!" he laughed, running up to Craig. "Good to see you took my advice and piled on the jumpers as well." 

"It really is so cold today." Craig adjusted the grey, woolly hat that he was wearing on his head. "Maybe the two of us could go and get some hot chocolate after we've been skating? I'll pay." 

"Sounds good to me," Jason nodded, touched by the offer. "Now come on, let's go skating! I can't wait for this." 

He looked so animated and excited at the prospect of going inside and getting onto the ice that Craig couldn't help but smile. He was most certainly in higher spirits than he had been by the end of Christmas day, the last time they saw one another, which made Craig feel very happy indeed. He hated to think of any of his friends, or anyone he loved, being upset. 

The two of them headed into the rink, which was quite busy already, though not overly so. Several groups of friends held onto each other and laughed as they failed to stay upright on the ice for more than a few seconds at a time. One of the girls looked so like their classmate, Shirley Rich, with the exact same pixie cut and short stature, that Craig was almost convinced it was her. But nearing the rink it turned out that it wasn't her - which Craig breathed a sigh of relief at. Shirley Rich wasn't exactly one of the students that he got on well with - she and her girlfriend, Darcey Bussell, were very pretty, very popular, and could be very condescending and insulting towards those that they didn't consider to be cool. They had had a few incidents with Motsi - which mostly happened when Jorge was not around, on account of the fact that they were mildly scared of Jorge - where they had said some less than kind things to her, usually about her appearance. 

A couple of mums and dads skated around the ice rink with their young children, more than likely as a Christmas holiday activity, spending quality time together before the children went back to school once more. One of the couples even had their child sitting on a penguin, so that they could push him around the rink on it. 

"Maybe I should ask to borrow one of those," Craig joked, though he knew that at over 6ft, he was probably way too tall to really use one. 

"Maybe," Jason gave a smile. "We're definitely going to try and get you skating properly first though. That's my goal for the day." 

Jason quickly paid for the both of them to go into the rink (Craig insisted that he would pay him back later) and led Craig over to find some skates that would fit him. 

"So, how have the last few days been?" he asked, as they laced up their skates, sitting side by side. "We had another big lunch on Boxing Day, and my family spent the entirety of the day worried about me and pretty much convinced that Llambi was the person who upset me on Christmas Day. I told them a billion times he had nothing to do with it, but they were still unsure. Then the last few days... I've just been getting all my holiday homework done, and getting your birthday present ready." 

"I'm excited to see what you got me! I've just been relaxing and getting a bit of work done, and watching musical after musical with my family and with my Jonno," Craig smiled, stunned at how talkative Jason was these days, as they began to walk towards the ice. "Right," he laughed nervously, reaching the edge, "how exactly do we do this?" 

"Let me get on first, and then I'll help you," Jason laughed, neatly stepping onto the ice and then pulling Craig with him, who immediately fell over, bashing his hip hard. 

"Are you okay..?" 

"I'm fine," Craig giggled, as Jason pulled him to his feet, holding onto him so that he wouldn't fall again. "This is going to be an absolute disaster." 

"You'll be fine, I promise," Jason reassured him, taking him over to the wall so that he could hold on. "I was absolutely useless my first time. And my second time. And my third. But around the fourth time I went, I started to get decent at it." 

"So you've been skating quite a lot?" 

"Yeah! I try and go as often as possible in the winter months.. whenever I can really. It's the main thing I use my money for in the winter, along with theatre trips. I know I'm terrible at PE at school-" 

"Oh, you're not that-" 

"Craig, shut up. You know very well that I'm awful at sports, and you're allowed to say that, because I really am. But I really enjoy ice skating, cycling, and I'm decent at roller skating as well. Just a shame we never do those in PE and spend all our lessons learning how to kick a bloody football." 

"I wouldn't say I'm exactly good at sports either," laughed Craig, as Jason began to teach him the basic skating technique, which looked easy but really wasn't. "But I love to dance, and I quite enjoy swimming as well. Two other sports we never really do in PE! Although, as I told you, Jonno is definitely the better swimmer in our relationship." 

"Maybe some day we should all go swimming together," Jason suggested, an idea that Craig very much was on board with. "Now come on, Craig, try and skate!" 

Craig let go of the wall, attempted to copy the technique that Jason had demonstrated and almost immediately fell down once more. He just couldn't get the hang of it, all that afternoon, no matter how many times Jason showed him how. The only time he could really do it was when Jason was holding tight to him, guiding him, and even then he often still fell over, several times dragging Jason down with him, so they literally landed on top of one another. 

"Jason, I am so sorry! I must be the worst ice skater ever," he laughed, as he went flying for about the 50th time, feeling certain that he would have bruises covering his entire body by tomorrow. 

"Oh, you're not that bad," Jason chuckled, helping him up with an amused expression upon his face. 

"Now you're the one that's lying through your teeth." 

"Okay, you're not great at the moment, but you'll get there some day! Maybe next time we come here, and I hope you'll join me again some time, I'll ask Ashley to come with us. We'll team up and both teach you how to skate." 

"Ashley's a good skater, then?" 

"Better than me. If you think I'm good at skating, then you should see Ashley skate." Jason smiled fondly as he spoke of his best friend. "I'd ask him if he wanted to join us today, but he's hanging with the Diversity lads today, practicing their street dancing." 

"Well, I'd definitely like to come again, so that sounds like a good plan. I doubt that you'll get me skating very far though," Craig chuckled, managing to skate a few feet unaided and without falling over. Letting out a scream of pride, he immediately toppled over once more, which caused Jason to start laughing uncontrollably. 

"I love how you just got so excited and the universe was like Hell no, I have other plans for you," he giggled, pulling Craig up. "That was so ironic."

"It was, wasn't it?" Craig held onto the wall once more to balance himself. "Look, I'm going to go and sit out now - I've loved this but I really think that's enough excitement for one day. I'll watch you skate, though." 

"Fine," Jason replied, with a smile. "Watch and learn, my dear friend." 

Craig took a seat off the ice rink and watched on in admiration as Jason began to skate effortlessly round in circles, doing laps of the rink, cleverly swerving around anyone who got in his way. It was weird - Jason was never really somebody he would have associated with ice skating, and yet here he was, skating so beautifully. He fell over a few times, and accidentally bumped into a couple of people, but on the whole his skating was smooth and effortless and Craig couldn't help but feel a little envious of his friend's many talents. He was a brilliant student, he could sing beautifully, his drawing was so much better than he gave himself credit for, and he could ice skate so well too. 

What other talents was he hiding? 

About twenty minutes of skating later, Jason finally came off the rink, panting, red in the face, but smiling widely. 

"That was so much fun!" he exclaimed. 

"You're honestly brilliant at ice skating! I never would have thought of you as being an ice skater, but you're brilliant!" 

"Why, thank you! We'll definitely have to come back here together at some point," said Jason, taking off his skates and returning them to their rightful place. "Shall we go and get a hot chocolate or something?" 

"Sure! I'll pay," Craig nodded, doing the same. 

"No, it's fine, I'll-" 

"Jason. You bought the ice skating. I'll buy us some hot chocolates and a cake each." 

Jason couldn't argue any further - it was evident that Craig's mind was made up. So with a word of thanks, they headed to a nearby cafeteria together, the one that Jason always came to after he went ice skating. Sitting down at a table inside in the warm, the two of them quickly scanned the different cakes that were on offer. 

Jason reclined back in his chair, having made up his mind. "I'll have a chocolate muffin, please, and a hot chocolate with absolutely no cream whatsoever." 

"You don't like cream?" 

"I hate it. Please, no cream." 

"Don't worry, I'll make sure there is absolutely no cream on yours," Craig reassured him, before going up to the counter and ordering what Jason wanted, along with a chocolate muffin and hot chocolate with whipped cream for himself. These were quickly made and placed on a tray, and Craig paid the money, thanked the woman behind the counter, and headed back to the table with the drinks and food.

"Thanks," Jason grinned, moving his order towards him and beginning to cut into the muffin. "I love chocolate way too much." 

"That's relatable." Craig snapped a photo of their orders, before he turned off his phone and took a long drink of his hot chocolate. He instantly felt warmer as he did so. "I've eaten so much chocolate the last few days, it's unreal." 

"Literally all we've been eating this week is leftovers," Jason laughed. "Gammon sandwiches, Turkey sandwiches, gammon with chips, turkey with salad. Last night, Mum made pasta and I was so relieved.. I was getting sick to death of the same things." 

Craig took a bite of his muffin. "We've had two more Christmas dinners - Mum's the kind of person who gets everything prepared like two months beforehand and we already had everything bought before your mum invited us to spend Christmas with you guys. And we've also been eating leftovers." 

"My mum and dad always make way too much," Jason laughed. "So, how was your New Year with Jonathan? I saw you had a movie marathon." 

"Yes! We watched a bunch of musicals." 

Jason looked genuinely interested. "Which ones? Any of my favourites?" 

"We didn't end up watching My Fair Lady, but we did watch Little Shop of Horrors-" 

"You have taste, my friend!" 

"And we also watched The Sound of Music-" 

"Another fantastic musical! That one was genuinely my favourite for years, until I watched my current favourites for the first time." 

"Was it actually? My favourite musical was Grease at one point.. and then Priscilla - which is now Jorge's favourite." 

"Oh, I can definitely see that." 

"And now it's between Cats and Annie. But I genuinely love all musicals. Jonno and I also watched Hairspray and the original Cats, ahead of going to see it in a couple days, because he had never seen the original." 

"I think it's good you showed him the original. Because somehow I don't think the new version will hold a candle to the original. I never usually like remakes that much." 

"I'm not sure what to expect. I've heard some very negative reviews about it and I'm definitely interested to see if it's as bad as people make it out to be." 

"Yeah, I have too," Jason replied, finishing up his muffin before wiping his mouth with a serviette. "It'll be interesting anyway. I just hope they don't butcher the soundtrack. What's your favourite song out of Cats, out of interest? Sorry, we've gone a little off topic here, it seems." 

"I love them all, but it has to be Memory. That song is just so beautiful." 

"I adore that one too! I almost cry every single time I hear it. However, my favourite of them all just has to be Mister Mistoffelees." 

"The first time I heard you singing," Craig thought back to how stunned he had been when he first heard his fellow Australian singing in his bedroom. "You really should have gone for a solo at the Christmas show." 

"No way," Jason said firmly, and shook his head. "No way. I'd rather let people like you and Jorge and Motsi and Jonathan and even Llambi - talented singers - perform." 

"Jason. You are literally so talented." 

"I'm really not talented, but that's okay." Jason shrugged. 

"Have you even heard yourself? You're a beautiful singer. If we do an end of term production you definitely should go for a role!" 

"Thanks for your compliments, Craig, but I think I'll pass," Jason responded, draining the last of his hot chocolate, and Craig's heart actually hurt as it became apparent that Jason really didn't have any idea quite how talented he was. "Thank you so much for buying me this, by the way. I really appreciate it." 

"It's nothing. Thank you for introducing me to ice skating," Craig beamed. "Ice skating was never anything I had any interest in ever trying before." 

"You're welcome," Jason replied, a little shyly. "Thank you for coming with me. I hope you'll join me again sometime - maybe with Ashley?" 

"Of course. I'd love to," Craig chuckled, "even though I can't skate to save my life." 

Jason smiled again, a true and honest smile that lit up his whole face. 

And as they sat there a little while longer, chatting about plans for Craig's birthday party and other things besides, Craig internally felt so glad that he had really tried to make friends with Jason, even when it seemed like Jason was impossible to befriend. 

.. 

Thecraigrevel: had a wonderful day ice-skating and visiting a nearby cafe with jason_gardiner. THANKYOU Jason for such a fantastic day and for not giving up on my ice skating skills though I was completely dreadful 😂

Jason_gardiner: you're more than welcome Craig. I had a great day with you too. We will make a skater of you yet! 😂 ashley_banjo.. care to join us next time? 😂

Ashley_banjo: obviously mate! Together we will make a skater of you thecraigrevel, you wait and see 

Jonathan was in the garden making room for the little vegetable patch he had planned when he heard his phone beep with the post notification. He wasn't much of a social media person if he was honest, and he had post notifications on for very few people, the only people he did have them on for being Craig, Joachim, Motsi, Jorge and his older sisters. 

Reading the post that his boyfriend had just put up, his heart couldn't help but sink. Much as he was glad that Craig had had a good day, for he really cared more than anything about his boyfriend, he wished that it didn't have to be with Jason. 

These days, all Craig ever seemed to talk - and post - about was Jason. All he seemed to do was hang out with Jason and Ashley. At school, after school, on weekends.. Craig's time spent with his fellow Australian was increasing, and the time spent with his boyfriend was decreasing rapidly. 

Joachim wasn't the only person that wasn't looking forward to having Jason at Craig's birthday party in a couple of days. Jorge, who always was on Joachim's side, was obviously not happy about the arrangement, and Motsi wasn't exactly thrilled either. And though he would never admit it to Craig, for he was too polite and cared too much about his boyfriend's feelings.. Jonathan secretly wished that Jason didn't have to come to the party. 

Because whenever Jason was around them, all of Craig's attention only really ever appeared to be focused on one person. 

And that person wasn't Jonathan.


	23. one night only

"Bye, Dad!" Jason grinned, as he got out the car and grabbed his overnight bag and Craig's present from the back seat. "See you tomorrow!" 

This evening was Craig's birthday party, and Jason was absolutely buzzing. Not just because they were going to see the new film version of one of his three favourite musicals - but because Craig had actually invited him. It had been so long since he was invited to a birthday party that wasn't Ashley's, and he was honestly so grateful to have been invited to Craig's sixteenth. Ashley was coming along as well - although Craig was definitely much closer with Jason, he had felt like he couldn't leave Ashley out of the celebrations. 

It went without saying that Pamela and Keith weren't exactly thrilled when Jason admitted that Joachim would be there too. Pamela had been very reluctant to let Jason go, as a matter of fact, but Jason had convinced her, saying that it meant a lot to him to attend and that it was about being there for Craig. They still hadn't seemed too sure, but they had given Jason permission to go, and now he was at Craig's house, the house he had been in so many times since October, ready for the party. 

This evening they were going to be going out to the cinema to watch Cats, before going out for dinner somewhere. Cats was a musical that meant the world to Jason, and he was really interested and excited to see how they had managed to remake it. He was never usually a fan of remakes - the originals were always the best in his opinion - but this remake was one that he was really excited for. 

"¡Gracias, padre! Hasta mañana!" 

Turning around, Jason was met with the sight of Jorge getting out the car with his usual massive bag on his back and an extremely badly wrapped present in his hands. Saying goodbye to his dad, and Paco, who was on the back seat having come along for the ride, he came striding over, dressed in a black jumpsuit that he had made himself one night when he couldn't sleep and was bored. 

"Jason! Such a pleasure to see you. Look, I need to talk to you." 

Inwardly, Jason felt a sense of fear at these words, but he replied "what?" in the curt tone that he these days mostly reserved for Joachim. 

"Look.. I don't like you-" 

"Why are you telling me something I already know?" Jason laughed, as the Cuban glared at him. 

"Let me finish. I don't like you - and I think it's pretty damn obvious why. And I think I have pretty good reasoning.. maybe if you didn't make fun of my best friend for falling over, laugh at him when he had to borrow some clothes of mine when you could see that he was obviously uncomfortable in what I had given him to wear, and mock him when he made a mistake when singing, I would like you a little more than I do." 

"I actually apologised for the final incident, I'll have you know. I went too far." 

"Yeah, I know you did, and.. thanks. Thanks for having the decency to apologise, because you really made him feel bad about himself that day. Anyway, will you let me get to the point? The point is, Craig wants all his friends at his birthday party, and I don't want his birthday to be ruined by some of us having hard feelings towards one another. So I want you to do two things for me. Act civil with me, and don't do anything, and I mean anything, to upset my best friend tonight." 

"Um.. for the record, I've never done anything to you. I don't dislike you. You were the one who started screaming at me on our geography trip.." 

"Yeah, because you mocked my best friend for hurting himself, and then laughed at him when you could see he was self conscious about his appearance! And when you hurt my friends, you hurt me as well, so you have done something to me actually, Jason Gardiner. But tonight, we are putting that aside. The only reason being that I want Craig to actually be able to enjoy his birthday, even if it means having somebody at the party who I don't like and who doesn't like the majority of the guests." 

"I just told you, I don't dislike you. I don't dislike anyone that's at the party apart from your little friend Llambi. And I have good reason for that, as I've told you before." 

"What on earth is a good enough reason for you to constantly make fun of him, so much that you've actually made him cry on several occasions?" 

"I'd rather not discuss it. But trust me, I have my reasons for disliking Joachim.. and they're good ones. Put it this way.. Joachim isn't who you think he is." 

"I'm sorry, Jason, but I just don't get what you're insinuating. Joachim is honestly one of the sweetest people I've ever met, and in all the time that we've been friends, he's never hurt me or done anything that bad to me. I just don't see what he could possibly have done to upset you this much." 

"He was the reason that the stuff that made me leave my old school happened. Now look, Motsi is just arriving and I don't really want to get into the long story of why I don't get on with Joachim, so if you'll excuse me, I'm going inside." 

"You better-" 

"And don't worry your little Cuban head.. if you insist, I'll leave your dear, sweet Llambi alone tonight." 

The conversation left Jorge puzzled as he watched Jason stalk indoors. He just didn't believe that Joachim could have done anything that bad - the one and only mistake the German-Spaniard had ever made in their friendship was something very trivial. He had borrowed a book off Jorge in the very early days of their knowing each other, and had spilled tomato soup all over it. Not wanting to admit the truth, Joachim had bought him another identical book, hoping that the Cuban wouldn't notice. Unfortunately, he forgot about the fact that the previous one had Jorge's name written in the front, and Jorge had found out that it wasn't the same book Joachim had borrowed. He had been annoyed that Joachim had lied to him, and upset that he felt that he had to lie rather than just be honest, and had made sure that he let Joachim know that he didn't want a repeat of the situation. 

"I don't like being lied to, okay? Even over something small like a book. You're one of my best friends, Joachim, and I should be able to trust you with anything. And if you lie to me, I won't be able to trust you anymore." 

Joachim had been really upset that he had hurt his best friend, and he had tearfully apologised, promising that from now on he would be honest. 

That was extremely trivial. The way Jason spoke, it was as though Joachim had bullied him or had done something terrible like spread his secrets all over the school they obviously once attended together - and Jorge just couldn't see Joachim doing that. The Cuban was a pretty good judge of character, and Joachim just didn't seem that type of person in the slightest. 

"Hola, chica!" he beamed, as Motsi came walking up to him. "Ready for the party?" 

"What were you talking to Jason about? I hope you weren't being.." 

"I told him that he was to be nice to Joachim tonight, and that he and I should act civil, so that Craig can actually enjoy his birthday without arguments. I've promised to be nice to him as well, as long as he is nice to Joachim."

"Well, I'm glad that you're going to be nice to him," the ever rational Motsi replied, "and I'm glad you're all going to make an effort for Craig's sake. Now come on, let's go inside! I'm actually so excited to watch the movie tonight, aren't you?" 

"I've heard some really bad reviews about it, so I'm interested to see if it's really as awful as some people have made it out to be," Jorge admitted, as they headed up to the door. "It should be a great evening." 

"Thanks, Perri!" called a voice from behind them, and Jorge and Motsi turned around to see that Ashley had just arrived by motorbike. 

The boy who owned the motorbike, presumably Perri, gave a lordly wave before speeding off alone on it. 

"Evening, everyone," Ashley said with his usual confident demeanour. "How are we?" 

"Good, thanks," Jorge nodded - he didn't dislike Ashley and respected how he had stood up for Joachim a couple of weeks ago at the choir concert. "You?" 

"I'm great, thank you. I can't wait for tonight! Jason's definitely more excited about tonight - he absolutely adores Cats. It's one of his favourite musicals.." 

"I didn't know Jason liked musical theatre," Motsi tried to make conversation.

"There are lots of things you don't know about me!" Jason said in a light tone, heading down the pathway, having seen Ashley arrive. "Hey, mate. I think we're getting ready to go now." 

"I'll just go put Craig's presents inside," Jorge excused himself, running indoors. "Back in a minute!" 

"Oh, Llambi! How lovely that you could make it! Get over here, I need to talk to you." 

Joachim, who was dressed casually in a pair of jeans and a shirt with a picture of New York on it, followed Jason over somewhere a little more private, wondering what on earth he had to say to him this time. 

"Right, I don't like you at all.. but Jorge has told me that I should be nice to you tonight, so that we don't ruin Craig's birthday party," Jason said in a mocking voice. "So for one night only, the two of us are going to act like friends, got it?" 

"I was already going to act civil with you. Funnily enough, I don't want my friend's birthday to be ruined." 

"Oh, you actually care about someone other than yourself, do you? Never would have thought it.." Jason said scathingly, as the others came down the path, ready to go, "but good. I'm glad that the two of us are on the same page about this." 

... 

Getting to the cinema was actually a smoother process than expected and soon enough they were queueing outside the building, getting ready to go in. It was absolutely packed, full of people still on Christmas break, and they saw several people they knew from school queuing up too, including Mr Frieling and his daughter, which did not at all amuse Joachim. 

"Of all the teachers we could have bumped into, why did it have to be Mr Frieling?" the German-Spaniard muttered, as soon as the teacher and his daughter (whose name was apparently Maria) were out of earshot. 

"It's always really awkward when you see teachers out, isn't it?" Craig laughed. "I remember I went out with Jonno and his family one night to a restaurant and saw Mrs Kelly and her family - it turned out the singer was her sister!" 

"You really don't seem to like Mr Frieling much.." commented Jason, rather stiffly.

"A few weeks after I arrived at the school, we were in Spanish class," Joachim began to tell the story of exactly why Mr Frieling was far from his favourite teacher, "and we had been set an essay to write. Motsi was struggling with it, and I was sitting next to her, so I leaned over to help her with some of the words. Anyway, Mr Frieling got really angry with me for talking in class, and sent me out the room and gave me detention, though I tried to explain that I was just trying to be nice and help her with her work because she was struggling.. I felt it was so unfair." 

"Joachim was one of the shyest people I'd ever met when he first came to the school. It was the first time I'd actually seen him argue back about anything!" Jorge laughed, as they moved slowly up the line of people waiting to get into the cinema. 

Eventually they got to the front of the line, and after purchasing their tickets, they headed into the cinema. 

"You don't like popcorn?" Craig exclaimed, as they stood at the snacks and drinks area, Jason shyly admitting to him that he would rather get sweets than popcorn to take into the movie. 

"Nope," he replied, with a laugh. "I've never liked it." 

"He's mad, that's why," Ashley joked, having given Craig the money to buy the popcorn. "I will however have popcorn, please." 

Craig went to order himself, Jorge, Motsi and Ashley some popcorn, whilst Jason and Joachim (who didn't mind popcorn but fancied something different tonight) went to serve themselves some sweets. 

"You really like Smarties.." Joachim tried awkwardly to make conversation, seeing that Craig was looking over in their direction, presumably to ensure that they weren't having an argument or anything. 

"Yeah, I do," responded Jason, not looking at him. "I see you still like gummy bears."

"They're my favourites."

"Joachim? Is your favourite musical still Joseph and the Amazing Technicoloured Dreamcoat?" Jason asked suddenly, as they finished shovelling sweets into their bags, realising they probably should get a move on if they wanted to get in and seated before the movie started. 

"Yeah, it is," replied Joachim, tying up his bag and heading to the counter, hoping they wouldn't be ridiculously expensive, for he only had 10 euros. He remembered how, when they went to Spain on their residential trip the year before, all students on the second day had been allowed an hour of free time to walk around the shops in little groups. Jorge, Joachim and Motsi had visited a sweet shop, and the price of the sweets had been extortionate - they had only just brought enough money to be able to actually buy what they wanted. "Yours is still The Sound of Music, I presume?" 

"No, actually! I still love that musical with all my heart, but my favourites.. I actually have three. My Fair Lady, Cats, and Little Shop of Horrors." 

"Those are great choices as well - I've never seen two of them though. Those being Little Shop of Horrors and My Fair Lady." 

"I'd definitely recommend both of them," Jason said, as they reached the front of the line and he put his bag of sweets on the counter. "They're both great musicals and I think you would enjoy them." 

A few moments later, once they had both paid for their sweets and got themselves a drink, Joachim and Jason walked over to the others. 

"Ready to go in?" Craig asked the group at large, and when they all nodded, he led them into the auditorium, which was filling up fast. 

Because of how busy it was, they were unable to find seven seats all together, so they ended up splitting up. Joachim, Jorge and Motsi found three seats together on one side of the auditorium, and on the other side, Jonathan, Ashley, Craig and Jason found seats. Jonathan wasn't too happy that Jason was sitting with them, but he did get to have Craig on one side of him, which satisfied him. 

And when Craig slipped his arm around him and cuddled close to him, as the twenty minutes of trailers before the movie actually began started to play, the Leicester-born felt content. 

.. 

"That was... interesting," Joachim said, as everyone sat down to dinner at a nearby Italian restaurant that Craig was a fan of. 

"I think the word you're looking for is terrible, Joachim," Jason cut in from across the table, as they were all handed menus. "That was officially dreadful. I've never been a massive fan of remakes of movies anyway - I don't think you can ever hold a candle to the originals in most cases - but I mean.. seriously? That was dreadful." 

Ashley nodded in agreement. "Perri - one of my closest friends, for those who don't know - told me that his little sister, who is only four years old, started crying when she saw the trailer for this in the cinema a few months back. I can now officially see why." 

"Is it bad that I didn't think it that bad?" Jorge shrugged. 

"You must be mad," Jason laughed. "Because that was bloody dreadful." 

"Okay, the original is way better, but from what I read, I was expecting way worse. It wasn't the most awful thing I've ever seen." 

After their orders for food and drink were taken, they were left to their own devices, Craig's family sitting on a neighbouring table to give the friends some time alone together. 

"So, what did you think, Craig?" 

"I'll be honest.. I didn't like it, but I think that's because I love the original so much. This one felt like a really cheap remake, and the CGI wasn't great either." 

"The CGI was fucking creepy." Jason wasn't holding back with his opinion on this movie at all. "The best part - in fact the only salvageable part - was the Memory scene." 

"Oh yeah, that was beautiful," Motsi chimed in with a smile. "I love that song - it has to be my favourite." 

"It's mine too." Craig smiled as his drink was placed in front of him. "And I loved that scene so much - I've never heard a more emotive version." 

"Well, my favourite song from the movie is actually Mister Mistoffelees," Jason told them all, taking a sip of his water, "and even though that was one of the decent scenes, I wasn't a fan of how they had Mistoffelees singing about himself. I much preferred it when Tugger sang that song." 

"It's my favourite song too! And agreed, it was slightly strange." 

Jason looked over at Joachim with a look of surprise. "Your favourite song is Mister Mistoffelees too? You have taste!" 

"Why, thank you," Joachim said in a tone devoid of sarcasm, before leaning in to take a selfie with Jorge and Motsi. 

A little while later their food came along, and they all began to tuck in hungrily, starving despite the fact they had all had snacks during the movie. Whilst they all ate, they chattered happily among themselves, and even Jason got very much into the conversation. Jorge and Joachim both stayed extremely civil with Jason, chatting away to him like they were friends, though all the while there was a sense of hostility between them that just wouldn't go away. Craig noticed it, and whilst he did wish that all of his friends would really get on well together, he knew that they had their reasons to be that way. And he was just grateful that they weren't arguing, that they were doing their best to remain civil for his sake. Everyone stayed extremely civil with Jason, even though Craig knew that none of them actually would have wanted him there. Motsi remained her usual level-headed and calm self and tried her hardest to make polite conversation with Jason and Jonathan was quiet, but spoke when he was spoken to. 

When Jason got up to go to the bathroom, having finished his meal of spaghetti and meatballs, Craig turned to the rest of his friends. 

"Thank you," he said in a low voice, "for being so civil with him." 

"There was no way I was going to ruin your birthday by not being civil with him," answered Joachim in a rather cool tone of voice. "I'm not like that, Craig. But this does not mean that we are going to be friends, I hope you know that." 

"All the same.." Craig sighed, as he turned back to his food, finishing the last few mouthfuls, "thank you for making an effort tonight. I really do appreciate it." 

... 

Back at the house, all sitting on the floor in their pyjamas, Craig began to open his presents from his friends. He had already opened family presents in the morning, with just his family and Jonathan, but now he had his presents from his friends to open. 

Most of his presents were musical themed, which Craig loved, for musicals were such a massive part of his life. He was incredibly touched to open Jason's present and find a framed photo of the two of them together inside, the one they had taken at New Year, and a ticket to go and see Strictly Ballroom on the stage with him in September. 

"You're joking! I've wanted to see this for so long," Craig exclaimed, hugging Jason tight, which made Jonathan's face fall. So not only was Jason Craig's favourite person right now, taking Craig away from him at every opportunity, he was now buying tickets for them to go and see a theatre show together? It just felt so wrong. 

"I remembered you mentioning how much you loved it," Jason replied simply. 

"Thank you so much! I can't wait!" 

"You're more than welcome, Craig. It'll be an amazing night." 

Craig left Jonathan's present for last, opening everyone else's first. Ashley's was a mug with all different musical references on it, and some cosmetic stuff like body lotion and deodorant in a little set. Craig couldn't help but laugh as he opened Jorge's and saw that he had been given a bag of Revels - "you just had to do that, didn't you, Jorge?" - and beamed as he saw the book that he had been wanting for so long. Admiring Joachim's extremely neat wrapping skills, he marvelled at the skull top and duvet covers, and upon opening Motsi's present, he made promises to cook something from the recipe book for lunch tomorrow before everyone had to go home. 

"We should get Jorge in the kitchen with Craig tomorrow - they can both cook lunch for us," Motsi laughed. 

"I'm up for that, my chica!" 

"I didn't know you could cook, Jorge," remarked Jason, looking across at the Cuban with a rather surprised expression. 

"Yeah, well, there is a lot you don't know about me," Jorge replied curtly, before seemingly remembering his promise to be civil with Jason tonight and saying in a much more rational and friendly tone, "my older brother, Pablo, is a chef. I went to stay in Cuba last summer for a couple of weeks and he taught me some recipes." 

"Was your brother the young man who came to the carol concert with your parents?" 

"Yep. He's eight years older than me and lives in Cuba, but he came over to see the concert before we all went back to Cuba for Christmas."

"I thought so. I knew that your brother lived in Cuba, because you mentioned it before. In ways, you look alike. Not in style, though." 

"Yeah. So many people say that." 

"I... your style is really cool, though. I.. I was stunned when we all had to write about ourselves for that wall display in Spanish and you said that you often make your own clothes. You're really good." 

"Thanks." 

"I still have to open my Jonno's present! I saved this one till last because I know that whatever he has bought me - or made me - will be extra special." Craig began to gently open the wrapping paper, and gasped as he saw what was inside it - a scrapbook with loads of pictures of them inside, from their very first official date to their New Year celebrations just days ago. The pictures were captioned in Jonathan's small but incredibly neat handwriting, and as Craig flicked through the pages, being so careful not to cause any damage, his eyes welled up with tears. 

"Jonno," he breathed, "what the - this is stunning. This must have taken you weeks." 

"Oh, it was-" Jonathan began but he was silenced by a kiss on the lips initiated by Craig. "I'm glad you like it." 

"Like it? Jonno, I love it," he whispered. "Thank you so so much." 

"I wish I had Jonathan's talent for creating thoughtful gifts," Joachim said with a smile. "Every birthday or Christmas, he always makes his friends - and boyfriend- such thoughtful gifts and it's just incredible." 

"I have the most thoughtful, talented boyfriend ever." Craig gave Jonathan yet another kiss, whilst all the others watched on. 

And as they went to bed that night, very late, Joachim, Jorge and Motsi in the spare room whilst the other four shared Craig's room (Craig had a relatively big room, but seven people would be a bit of a squash), Jonathan was buzzing with happiness. 

Craig had kissed him in front of Jason, and had said such wonderful things about him. 

... 

Everyone finally awoke at around 10am, and they arrived downstairs to a message from Bev on the counter, which read : I've taken Melanie, Diane and Trent out to the park and we'll get some lunch too, give you guys a chance to spend some time together. We'll be back to do cake and everything before everyone has to leave. Love you xx

"Seeing as we have the house to ourselves - how about we make some breakfast, and then play Just Dance?" Craig suggested, and that idea found favour with everyone, except for Jason, who was very reluctant to show off his dancing skills. He might have been fine with it just in front of Craig, but in front of everyone else.. he just didn't want to. Following everyone into the kitchen to make breakfast, he kept his fingers crossed that he wouldn't be asked to dance. 

After a quick breakfast of toast (they were going to make pancakes but found there weren't enough ingredients in the house to do so), they all went into the lounge to set up the Just Dance game. 

"Unless the song is My Immortal, Vogue or You're the One That I Want, then be prepared to be thrashed by Joachim," Jorge laughed, as he, Craig, Joachim and Jonathan got ready to dance to the first song. 

Indeed, Joachim kept up his winning streak on all dances but the ones that Jorge had mentioned. He even beat Ashley on every dance they did together, and Ashley considered himself to have mastered the game. Everyone watched on as Joachim continued to out dance everyone, amazed by how he seemed to win almost every single round. 

"Joachim.. have you ever danced before..?" Jonathan asked with admiration, "because you're really, really good." 

Joachim nodded. "Um.. yes, I took dance classes for several years when I was younger. I stopped when I had been in England a few months though." 

"I don't suppose any of you know the reason that he gave up, do you?" Jason started laughing scornfully all of a sudden, and Motsi sighed - she knew that there was no way that they were going to get through almost 24 hours of Joachim and Jason being in the same house without some form of arguments. 

"Jason, shut up." Joachim glared at the one person in the room who knew why exactly he had stopped going to dance classes. 

"He made one mistake on stage, and then like an absolute coward, he gave up ever going back! But then again, I don't think that was entirely unexpected - in fact, I was so surprised that he didn't just give up at the choir concert.." 

Jorge stood up, forgetting everything that he had said about acting civil with one another for Craig's sake, ready to stand up for his best friend, but Joachim got there before him, standing up and shouting like he had never shouted before, "Well, maybe you would like to know that I almost did give up! I was so fucking close to asking someone else to sing for me! But I didn't because I like singing, and unlike certain other things, a love of singing is something you will never take away from me!" 

"Well, how about we talk about what you took away from me? How about the way that before you left the school, you crept into the classroom before anyone got there and-" 

"What on earth is going on?" Craig, who had left the room momentarily, came back in. "Guys?!" 

"Jason.." Joachim looked scared all of a sudden, fear evident in his eyes as he stood before the Australian. "Please don't finish that sentence."

For a moment, a terrified Joachim really thought that Jason was going to say it, reveal exactly what had happened on that July morning before he and his parents moved across the country and set up home where they currently lived. But Jason didn't say a word. Instead, he simply sat back down, not saying a word, and Craig filled the silence by challenging Jorge to another round of Just Dance. 

When they got a moment alone, Jorge turned to his German-Spanish friend and asked him in a grave tone, "what was Jason talking about? You know, about the classroom..?" 

Joachim swallowed before answering. "I don't have a clue. He's probably invented a story to make me sound like a bad guy. Don't listen to him." 

Jorge nodded, said "I believe you," and led him back to the lounge, where everyone was tucking into the lunch that he had worked to produce with Craig. 

He didn't have any proof. He didn't like Jason one bit, especially not after all the things that he had done to Joachim. Whereas he would defend Joachim to the end, and would always stand up for him and support him in all that he did. 

But for only the second time in the 18 months that he had known Joachim, he had a very strong feeling that the German-Spaniard was lying to him. 

And this time, over something a lot more serious than a book defaced with soup.


	24. mock results

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick note: I'm using, in this story, the 9-1 grading system used in the UK. 
> 
> For those who don't know - 9 is equivalent to an A**, the grade that is really hard to get. 8 is an A*, 7 an A, 6 a B, 5 a high C, 4 a low C, 3 a D, 2 an E, and then 1 is the lowest grade. 
> 
> Hope that clears things up!!)

"I actually feel sick," Motsi remarked, as she sat with Jorge, Joachim, Craig and Jonathan in the corner of the classroom. It was the first day back at school after the Christmas holidays, and one by one, the students were were being called into a spare classroom to find out their Mock results. Currently Giovanni was in there, and the few students that had already been in to collect theirs were either looking very happy, or very upset. Motsi hoped that she would come out the former, but had a feeling that she wasn't going to be happy, especially with her Spanish and maths grades. 

"You'll have done brilliantly," said Jorge, in an attempt to comfort his friend, but Motsi snorted, "not in Spanish and maths I haven't." 

"I literally left half of the questions blank on my maths exam because I didn't get them, I highly doubt you've done worse than me," Jorge laughed. 

At that moment, in walked Giovanni, who rushed over to Bruno and Graziano and announced "I actually passed maths! Failed English language and science, and my Spanish speaking - but to be honest, I expected - oh, Motsi! You're next to go in there." 

"Me?" Motsi asked, her heart beginning to beat faster. 

"Well, how many other students in the school are called Motsi?" Jorge laughed, patting her on the back. "You'll be fine, chica!"

Shakily, Motsi got to her feet and headed out the room and down the corridor to the office where the teacher was waiting for her. Her heart pounding in her chest, wanting to find out but at the same time not, she stopped outside the office, composed herself, and nervously pushed open the door. 

"Hello, Motsi," said the head teacher, smiling at the south African beauty as she walked in and sat down on the chair the other side of the desk. "How are you today?" 

"I'm good thank you, just a little nervous to find out my grades," Motsi replied, twisting her hands together in her lap. 

"Well, you did quite well," said the head teacher, and Motsi wondered what she meant by that. Was that an understatement, or was it a way of building up her confidence? Or did it mean that she had done horrifically badly, but the teacher didn't like to tell her so? As Mrs Fielding pushed her results towards her, Motsi opened them, her hands shaking, wondering what on earth she would find in there. 

Glancing down at the paper that came out, Motsi had to admit that some of her grades were very good. She had achieved two 8s in English language and English literature, and had managed to get 6s in history, geography and drama. 

But then there were some grades that weren't so great. Motsi had expected that her Spanish grade would be very low, but seeing a 1 written on her paper for the oral and a 3 for all the other components of the subject made her want to cry. She did try not to compare to her best friends, for she knew full well that Joachim and Jorge had one massive advantage over her in that subject, but knowing that she had achieved several grades lower than they would have done still made her feel very defeated. And then there was a 3 for maths, which again had been expected, but still wasn't a great thing to see. And then there were two 3s for double award science, which surprised Motsi for she thought she had done quite well in those exams. 

The teacher showed Motsi her papers, showed her where she went wrong and where she lost valuable marks. When she found out she had only achieved 8/40 marks in the Spanish oral, she saw it as an achievement as she had fully expected to get nought, but still found it really embarrassing, and thought privately that she had definitely done the worst in the class on that exam. 

"I can sense you're disappointed, but you're a good student, Motsi, and with hard work and some extra tutoring you will come out very well in your proper exams," the head teacher said in an optimistic tone, and Motsi thanked her, trying not to cry. "Right, can you tell Craig Revel Horwood to come in please?" 

"Of course," Motsi nodded. "Am I fine to leave now?" 

"Yes, and thank you for your time, Motsi," said Mrs Fielding, with a smile at her student. 

"Thank you," Motsi smiled, and hastily left the room, trying to compose herself before going back to the classroom. Once she felt like she wasn't going to break down in tears, the south African beauty took a deep breath and then opened the door to the chattering students in her year, going back to where she had been sitting and telling Craig he needed to go. 

"What did you get, chica?" Jorge asked. 

"I'll tell you later on when we're all together somewhere private," Motsi told him. "I don't really want to talk about some of them right now. Good luck, Craig!" 

.. 

Craig knew that some of his grades weren't going to be as high as he had hoped they would be, but actually seeing that confirmed hurt. He had some good grades in there - grades he could be proud of- like a 9 in drama and a 7 in English language and 6 in English literature. He had also achieved a 6 in Spanish, which he was beyond happy with. But then there were other grades that he couldn't have been more disappointed in. He hadn't passed maths (he got a 3), and his science grades were just not good enough (a 3 in biology, a 2 in chemistry and a 2 in physics), and he had failed geography as well (which was incredibly disappointing as he thought he passed that). 

Similarly to Motsi, Craig was guilty of comparing himself to his friends from time to time - but above all, he was guilty of comparing himself to his boyfriend. Jonathan was a very hardworking and conscientious student with considerable talent for most subjects and sometimes Craig couldn't help but feel ashamed of his lower grades because he just wasn't as naturally intelligent as his boyfriend. He felt so deflated as the head teacher began to talk, giving him some advice on where to improve for their next round of mock exams in three months time. 

"I was expecting better from you in some subjects, Craig, because I know that you have the capability to get a much better grade than this," she said after she'd shown Craig where he went wrong, "but it's common for students to not do so well in their first round of mocks. You're an intelligent student Craig, and I know that with hard work and more practice, you will get much better grades in the actual exam. Now, look at where you have gone wrong and take it as something to work on for the next exams." 

Craig nodded as he was handed his papers in a folder to take home and refer back to, and he took it under his arm. With a hasty goodbye, he ran back to the classroom to get Ashley, who was the next student to find out how he had done, going straight over to the corner to get him. 

As soon as Ashley had gone to find the head teacher, Jason told him to sit down, before putting his arm around him, sensing that he was unhappy with his grades. 

"You don't look too happy," he commented, in a low voice. "Did you get a bad grade?" 

"Several, in fact," Craig replied, looking over at Jonathan, who was looking reproachful as he always did when Craig decided to spend time with Jason over him. 

"Awww, don't be sad," Jason replied, putting his arm round Craig again, albeit a little awkwardly. He never really knew what to do or say when somebody was upset, and always worried that he would come across insensitive. "It's okay... I'm sure you've not done that badly. You're an intelligent person, Craig.. we can talk about it at lunch, yeah? You sitting with me?" 

"Of course," Craig nodded, with a small smile. "We'll talk about it then." 

..

Ashley knew without a shadow of a doubt that he had failed practically every subject. Unlike his best friend, he had never been particularly academic - he wasn't thick, but whereas Jason spent hours upon hours studying and getting his work done, Ashley was one of those who preferred to do literally anything else. But Perri and his friends weren't academic at all - and ever since he met them and began to hang out with them, Ashley's grades had dropped dramatically. 

He wasn't surprised to see on his results slip a load of 3s and 2s, and one 6 in Spanish which was a subject he had always been fairly good at. Having spent a lot of time in the past with somebody who was half Spanish, Ashley had learned a lot. When Joachim first arrived in the UK, he knew quite a bit of English, but struggled with the language, especially with speaking it. He had been a bit nervous about talking at first - he hated the way that his accent sounded whilst speaking, and he found that he made lots of mistakes out of nerves. So Ashley and Jason had patiently helped him improve his English and his self-confidence, and in return, Joachim had always helped them with Spanish assignments, an arrangement they all really loved. 

He wasn't surprised.. but he was disappointed. He knew all this time that he had been neglecting his school work, too focused on being with the "Diversity lads" as they collectively called themselves, and he knew that it was his own fault that those grades were on the paper in front of him. 

"Ashley, I was really not impressed when I saw these grades," the head teacher said very sternly. "Apart from your Spanish, which Mrs Kelly was extremely impressed with - if you don't mind, we would like to show your essay to Mr Frieling's class as a model answer - this just isn't good enough. You're an intelligent young man, it's nothing to do with understanding the work. So why are you throwing your life away like this?" 

Ashley said nothing, for once feeling really ashamed of himself.

"I wouldn't be this hard on you if I didn't think you had potential," the head teacher continued, and Ashley nodded, looking very shifty indeed. "You have a lot of potential, and I definitely think it's not too late. If you start now, you will improve your grades by the time the real exams roll around. Maybe," she looked him deep in the eyes, "if you actually spent more time on schoolwork, instead of spending so much time hanging around public places with those friends of yours, we might see better work from you." 

Her words stung, but Ashley knew she was completely right. He wasn't doing his best, and he owed it to himself and everyone around him to work a lot harder. 

"I'll work harder, I promise," he said in a rather deflated tone. 

"Let's hope that happens," said the head teacher, firmly. "Right, here's your papers. Take them home to refer to, and let's see an improvement in your next set of mocks and overall standard of work, please. And tell Jason Gardiner to come next. And Ashley  
... maybe take a few tips from your friend Jason. He is a model student." 

Ashley nodded and took the folder from her, then thanked her and left, knowing full well that this was his own fault. He had created this mess and now he had to fix it. 

Back in the classroom, he went over to Craig and Jason and tapped the later on the shoulder gently. 

"It's time for you to go and get your results," he informed him. 

"Thanks, mate," Jason smiled, standing up, suddenly looking extremely nervous, though he knew that he had worked extremely hard for the exams. "How were yours?" 

"Terrible," Ashley replied, "and I know it's all my own fault that I got such poor grades. I'll tell you later. Go get yours." 

"Bad luck," replied Jason, before leaving the room, heading down the corridor with his heart pounding in his chest. 

.. 

Sitting down on the chair opposite the head teacher, Jason apprehensively opened the envelope that had his mock GCSE results in it. Glancing down, he couldn't have been prouder of himself - he had achieved all 9s, 8s and 7s, which was what he had really been hoping that he would achieve. 

"I was very impressed with your results, Jason," said the head. "Very impressed indeed. "Your Spanish.. I can tell you that you were one of only three students in your class to get the 9. And the other two both speak Spanish as a first language, so that's definitely an achievement you should be very proud of. Your 150 word essay.. would it be all right if Mr Frieling showed it to his class as a model answer?" 

"Of- of course!" Jason stuttered, nodding. 

"In maths, you outperformed every student in your year, and your English essays were also excellent," the head teacher went on, and Jason practically glowed with pride in himself. He really had worked hard, and it really seemed to have paid off. "Keep working hard like you have been, and you have the ability to walk out this school as one of our best students." 

At that final comment, Jason felt his eyes filling with tears, tears of utter pride. One of the best students. He knew he worked hard, and he knew that he achieved good grades, very good grades in fact - but being described as one of the best students to come to the school absolutely floored him. 

"Thank you so much," he managed to stammer, absolutely bowled over by that remark. 

"It's the truth, and more students should take a leaf out of your book," said the teacher with a smile. "Like your brother." 

Jason laughed. "I do try to tell him that he's way better than he makes himself out to be when it comes to academia." 

"He's very intelligent, but just doesn't try hard enough!" the head teacher exclaimed, as she handed Jason the folder with his papers in. "Now, can you get Joachim in for me, please? And well done again." 

"Of course, and thank you," Jason smiled, before heading back to the classroom, his heart singing. He was unable to believe what had happened.. he had achieved with fantastic grades, though it was only the mock exams, and he had been described as having potential to walk out in June as one of the best students. 

Opening the door to the classroom where all the students were waiting, Jason went over to where Joachim was sitting with Jorge, Motsi and Jonathan, and said in as calm a tone as he could manage, "Llambi, you're wanted to go and find your grades." 

"Thanks," Joachim replied a little curtly, before getting up and walking out the room, Jorge and Motsi calling "good luck!" after him. 

"I expect you got all 9s," Jorge addressed the Australian. 

"Mostly, but I got a couple of 8s and 7s as well," Jason replied, either not detecting or ignoring the sarcasm in the Cuban's tone. "And one 6." 

"You got a 6 as your lowest grade.. What a tragedy," Jorge rolled his eyes, and Motsi tapped him, giving him a look that clearly read Quit whilst you're ahead. 

Although Jorge was still convinced that Joachim was lying to him over what Jason had said at the birthday party just days ago, he didn't think that Jason was entirely without blame either. Joachim had talked about how he struggled at his previous school, being bullied for his sexuality among other things, and he didn't think that he would dislike Jason without some kind of reason. So the Cuban was far from being best friends - or even liking - Jason at the moment, despite the fact he already knew deep down in his heart that Joachim was lying over what happened with him and Jason. 

Ignoring the final remark, Jason headed back over to his two friends and sat down, still buzzing from the praise that he had received from their head teacher.

"I'm really happy with my grades, I'll talk to you about them later," he said to both of them, with a smile on his face. "We'll talk about them at lunch, yeah?" 

"Sure," Ashley nodded, still deflated, and Craig nodded as well. 

.. 

If Joachim was being honest, his grades were mildly disappointing. He couldn't have been prouder of his Spanish, especially when the percentage was revealed - that being 93%. Though he was technically at a great advantage to most other students, he still had to work hard for Spanish, and he was beyond proud of the grade he had received. 

He had actually passed maths as well, which he was not expecting. Granted, it was a low pass - two marks into the 4 - but he was still elated, as he struggled with maths. 

It was his English results that he was disappointed with. He knew that his literature results would suffer slightly seeing as he hadn't revised the one poem that had to come up on the paper, but he was disappointed that it was only a grade 4, and when he found that the story he had wrote for English language that he had been so proud of only got half marks, he couldn't help but feel sad. And then he had failed science, which wasn't exactly a surprise but was disappointing nonetheless. 

"Joachim, you're making fantastic progress," was the head teacher's comment, "and you've really put a lot of effort into these grades. Mrs Kelly was extremely happy with your Spanish results - you, Jorge and Jason were the only three students to get 9s in Spanish, which is a wonderful achievement." 

Though he certainly wasn't a part of the Jason Gardiner fan club, Joachim couldn't help but feel pride in Jason, for getting one of the highest grades in the class despite not being a native Spanish speaker. 

"Are you happy with your grades..?" 

The German-Spaniard nodded. "Mostly," he responded, twisting his hands together in his lap rather shyly. "I must admit I'm slightly disappointed in my science and my English though. Especially in my English.. I thought I'd done better." 

"Your teachers for the subjects will be free all day if you want to talk to them about how you can improve," the head teacher told him, and Joachim smiled and said that he would go and talk to them later. "But all in all, Joachim.. my advice would just be to continue working hard like you have been.. you're a very good student." 

"Thank you." 

"And another thing - not related to your academic progress - I'd just like to say that several of your teachers have pointed out how much more confidence you have now compared to when you first started here. It's a pleasure to see that, Joachim."

Joachim blushed slightly as the head teacher said that. The first few weeks, before Jorge approached him, he sat mostly by himself minding his own business and not talking to anyone and he knew his teachers were concerned about his lack of socializing with other students. It wasn't that he didn't want to make friends - he just remembered all the previous failed friendships he had had and didn't want to bore anyone at this school with his friendship. He had been worried at the start that he would bore the more confident and bubbly Jorge and Motsi to death, and had been worried that maybe they would one day decide to just be friends with one another again (as they had been all these years) - but things had worked out differently to how Joachim initially envisioned. Jorge and Motsi had stuck beside him, reassured him they were there to stay, introduced him to Craig and Jonathan, and most importantly helped him boost his confidence. From someone who hardly spoke a word and spent most of his breaktimes and lunchtimes sitting alone with nobody to talk to, to a much more confident person who now understood the meaning of sarcasm and was comfortable joking around with the friends he thought he would never make.. Joachim's personal development had been noticeable. To almost everyone around him. 

"Thank you." 

"Right, if you have no more questions, then here are your papers. And could you ask your friend Jorge to come in, please?" 

"Of course. Thanks for the advice," Joachim said politely before taking the folder. "Bye." 

"Jorge, you're next," Joachim nudged his friend a few moments later, back in the classroom with everyone else. "Good luck!" 

"Thank you! I think I'm going to need it," Jorge laughed a little shakily. "How did you do, mate?" 

"A few grades I'm disappointed in, but overall I'm happy - I'll tell you at lunch break," Joachim responded, as Jorge ran his fingers through his straightened hair and got ready to head on down to the classroom where the head teacher had given everyone their results. "Now go." 

.. 

"Jorge, before I give you your results, I have a message for you, which comes from Mrs Price," the head teacher said as Jorge sat down, and the Cuban sighed, knowing exactly what she was about to say. 

Mrs Price was the maths teacher. 

"It is not an intelligent idea to leave half of your maths paper blank." 

"I know.." Jorge sighed, "I just didn't know how to answer any of it." 

"Next time, though, Jorge, what you really should do is make an educated guess.. you might get some valuable marks doing that," the head teacher told him, as he opened his results slip and began to read down the list, seeing that he had got a 1 in maths. Well, that confirms it, he thought to himself, looks like I'm getting a tutor. 

"Your science also needs work," the teacher continued, and Jorge nodded - again he had expected it. "Your biology was actually pretty good but your chemistry and physics grades really let you down. On a positive note, however, you've improved greatly in English - although your teacher thinks you can definitely improve - and your Spanish result was absolutely fantastic. I've already told Joachim and Jason this, but you three were the only students in Mrs Kelly's class to get the 9. You got 90% - the only thing that let you down a little bit was using some phrases that aren't used in Castilian Spanish. That's not entirely your fault, because you're Cuban, but that's something you could definitely work on fixing." 

"I'll try to," Jorge nodded, feeling extremely proud of himself. 

"Would it be all right if we used your 150 word essay as a sample essay for the rest of your class and for Mr Frieling's class? We can blank out your name if you'd like." 

"Of course!" Jorge grinned, more than happy to let them use it, feeling rather honoured in fact. "And don't worry.. I'm fine with people knowing who wrote it." 

"That's great. Back to the maths - I can tell you're disappointed, but I definitely think that if you work on actually answering more of the paper, you'll do so much better. Because a lot of your fellow classmates didn't do as well as they hoped on their maths papers, Mrs Price was thinking about setting up a maths revision group that will run a couple of times a week, if you're interested." 

"I think my dad will be getting me a tutor after that result," Jorge tried to laugh, "but I'll definitely come along. I'm sure Joachim and Motsi will as well." 

"Perfect. I'd advise you and all your fellow students to use to your advantage any of the extra help you get offered.. it could be the difference between a pass and a fail." 

Jorge nodded. "I will do. I'll get that 4 in maths in our next set of mocks." 

"I love your attitude, Jorge. Now, if you have no other questions.." she handed him the folder, just as she had done with all his friends, "please ask Graziano to come in." 

Saying a quick goodbye and a last thank you, Jorge immediately went to tell Graziano it was his turn. 

"So, how was it?" Joachim, who had been chatting to Motsi, asked, as Jorge came back to them, sitting down once more with his slip and folder in hand. 

"Five words. I'm getting a maths tutor." 

..

Jonathan was left until the very last student to go and get his results, which did wonders for his stress levels. As the penultimate student (Thomas, the one who Mr Frieling had begged to be more motivated when they were rehearsing for their choir concert) came back, Jonathan got up, his knees shaking, and Craig immediately ran over and hugged him close, whispering in his ear, "good luck, Jonno! I know you've done brilliant because you are brilliant." 

"Thanks, Craigy," Jonathan blushed slightly. "I hope so." 

"You will have done! I love you," Craig called after him, as he nervously walked down the corridor. He tentatively tapped on the door of the classroom, making the head teacher look up and smile at him, which reassured him slightly. 

"Jonathan. Come on in. And no need to look so scared - all of your teachers are thrilled with your results." 

"Really?" 

"Yes! Take a look." 

Carefully opening his envelope, Jonathan's face broke into a massive smile as he read down his results slip. Similarly to Jason, he had achieved all 9s, 8s, and 7s, and one 6 in Spanish, which were grades that he couldn't have been any happier with. 

"Jonathan, you are an extremely hard working student, and it's clear just how much effort you put into your school work," the head teacher told him, as he tried hard not to cry with happiness. "You consistently produce fantastic work, and your science and maths grades especially are absolutely fantastic." 

"Thank you!" Jonathan beamed, his eyes filling with tears of pride. 

"Your Spanish has really come along too.. Mrs Kelly is very impressed, especially with your oral," said the head teacher, which made Jonathan smile even more. He had really worked hard on trying to improve his spoken Spanish, for that had been where he struggled last year. "Overall, Jonathan, there really isn't much to say to you apart from that you're doing really, really well and that if you keep this up, you will walk out with exceptional grades." 

"Thank you so much," Jonathan breathed, unable to believe it. He knew that he worked hard, but he still never expected to get results that were this good. 

"I would still advise you to come to any extra revision sessions you get offered, but on the whole, well done, Jonathan, and keep up the hard work," the head teacher praised, handing him his folder. 

"Thank you very much," Jonathan beamed, before heading out of the room, his heart singing, so proud of himself for achieving such high grades in just the first round of mocks. 

Hopefully, when it mattered most - next May and June - he would be able to replicate these results.


	25. like my sister

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some fluff for you ❤
> 
> Also, it's slightly strange writing about Darcey and Shirley being the "mean" ones when they are usually the sweetest characters in all my other fics - but it's definitely interesting 😁
> 
> This isn't the last you've seen of them... mwahahahaha

Lunch break saw Joachim, Motsi and Jorge sitting in their usual corner sharing the results of their mock exams. Craig had gone off to find Ashley and Jason like he always seemed to at break now, which disappointed Jonathan (who had decided to go to the library and get in some revision). He had really wanted to share his results with Craig now, spent some time together with just him and their friends. 

But once again, he had lost him to Jason. 

Motsi didn't really want to talk about her grades, but she knew that her friends were going to find out sooner or later what she got. Although she knew that Joachim and Jorge would never judge her, she felt really ashamed to admit that her Spanish grades were so low, especially because she knew they would have done so much better than her. She was completely aware of the disadvantage she faced with the language compared to Joachim and Jorge, but it didn't make her feel any better about the fact that she had only received a 1 in her speaking and a 3 in the other components of the Spanish exam. 

Jorge and Joachim had both agreed before coming down that, for today at least, they wouldn't tell Motsi about how their answers in their Spanish exams were going to be used as sample answers for other students to learn from. They knew that, if Motsi hadn't achieved the grade that she wanted in the subject and they started talking about how impressed Mrs Kelly had been with them, it would upset her even more. So they had celebrated that news together, and now vowed to not say anything to Motsi. 

"So, how did you do?" Jorge asked, as soon as they were sitting down together, backs against the wall. "Were you guys happy with what you got?" 

"Guys, I actually passed maths!" Joachim burst out, a huge grin on his face. "Okay, by like two marks, but I actually got a 4!" 

"Get in, Joachim! I wish I could say the same," Jorge laughed. "As I said, I'm going to be officially getting a maths tutor after today. Papi told me if I didn't pass then I would be getting a maths tutor, and well.. I got a 1. And Mrs Price told the head to tell me that it was not an intelligent idea to leave half of my paper completely blank." 

"Yeah, I maybe wouldn't advise you to do that again," Joachim chuckled. "I hear Jonathan got a 9 in maths." 

"Of course he did," Jorge rolled his eyes, though secretly he was very proud of his friend. "Totally saw that coming. Motsi, my chica, how did you get on in maths?"

"I didn't pass. I got a 2," replied Motsi, rather sadly. 

"Awww, Motsi. I'm sorry it didn't work out. But hey, you did better than me! And hey, I hear that Mrs Price is setting up a maths revision group. It's already been suggested to me to attend.. you could always attend with me." 

Motsi nodded. "I might well do. And let me guess.. you both got a 9 in Spanish?" 

Jorge and Joachim both nodded simultaneously. "Yes, we did." 

"Well done, guys!" Motsi tried her hardest to smile, clapping both her friends. "That's amazing! I knew you could do it." 

"What did you get in Spanish, Motsi?" Joachim asked gently. "Did you do better than you expected?" 

Motsi's eyes filled with tears as she shook her head. "Ha. No. Way worse, actually. I got a 1 in the oral and a 3 in the-" 

"Ha! Well, that was to be expected, wasn't it? Motsi Mabuse getting a shit grade in Spanish - it was obvious that was going to happen." 

Shirley Rich, their classmate, was the speaker. She was standing there with her hands on her hips, her girlfriend Darcey beside her, both throwing Motsi a look of contempt. The tears that had already formed in Motsi's eyes spilled over at the mean, uncalled for comments and she started to cry. 

Seeing his best friend so upset, so vulnerable and hurt, made Jorge absolutely furious. Not even caring whether a teacher overheard him or not, he snapped "Look what you've done to her! How can you be so fucking horrible?", whilst Joachim moved over to Motsi and wrapped his arms round her. 

"It's not like we're telling a lie. I mean come on, even you know she's thick." 

"Okay, maybe she didn't get the highest grade in class! But just because you got higher grades than her, you think you can stand there and call my best friend thick? Well, I'll have you know she isn't thick. She tries so hard with revision, and I know that she's capable of getting a great grade next summer, if she gains more confidence." 

"Improve? Huh! Not likely," snorted Darcey. "I don't see that happening." 

"Well, she will! And when she gets a high grade next summer, you'll be taking back what you just said to her." Jorge glowered. "Now, leave Motsi alone." 

"Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot. Of course you'd defend your girlfriend, Jorge. Only natural.." 

"I think you'll find that there's one major problem with that theory," Jorge shot back, "that being that I'm gay. Motsi's been my friend since I was seven.. she's like my sister." 

"I have a sister, and if she was as thick as Motsi was, I'd tell her-" 

Hearing Motsi let out an audible sob, Jorge walked over to her, helped her up from the chair, and put his arm around her, supporting her. 

"First off, don't you dare ever call my chica thick again," he spat, rage in his eyes, his arm around his sobbing best friend. "Because she isn't at all thick - and you know why? She tries her best, she may not be the best student in the class but she tries as hard as she can to get good grades and puts in so much work. She doesn't have the advantage of speaking Spanish as a first language like Joachim and I do, and for somebody who has only been learning the language two years and only really speaks it inside school and briefly when she sees mine or Joachim's parents, I'd say she is doing pretty damn well for herself. And though she got what you might call a low grade, she tried so hard, and I'm bloody proud of her for it. Second of all, if you want to mock somebody, mock me. I got a 1 in maths, and left half my paper blank. Go on.. mock me all you like, I really don't care what you have to say about me, but don't you dare ever let me hear you mocking Motsi or Joachim. Thirdly, leave us the fuck alone. Come on, Motsi, Joachim. Let's go away from here - Motsi, you don't have to put up with their shit. Come on, let's go now." 

"He said it," Joachim glared at the two girls, who had been rendered speechless, as Jorge led him and Motsi over to a bench. Sitting down, Jorge pulled Motsi into a cuddle, holding her close as she sobbed. 

"Don't cry, my chica," he murmured, stroking his fingers tenderly through her hair, whilst Joachim gently reached out and took hold of her hand, squeezing it gently. "Please don't cry.. you aren't thick, okay? Don't you dare let those girls put you down." 

Motsi shook her head. "But they're right." 

"No... no, Motsi, they are not right. Don't say that about yourself." 

"But they are. I got a 1.." 

"Yes, you did get a 1 in the speaking, but that was down to a lack of confidence. You can actually speak Spanish really well, Motsi, but you just panic when you have to speak and it means that you overthink it and end up forgetting your vocabulary," Joachim said wisely. 

"Joachim is absolutely correct. Hey, can I have a look at your results slip?" 

Motsi handed over the piece of paper she had been holding in her free hand, and Jorge unfolded it, reading down the list of her grades. 

"Motsi.. these grades are fantastic!" 

"They're really not.." 

"Um, excuse me... you got 8s in English! I'd say that's pretty incredible," Jorge insisted as he stroked her hair gently. "And you got quite a few Bs as well - and look at this! You got 3s in your writing, reading and listening, and that's so close to a pass! Please don't be so hard on yourself. You've only been learning Spanish in school two years and you don't speak it as a first language. As I said back there, I'm so bloody proud of you. You work so hard." 

"It's just.. I'm just so disappointed." 

"I know you are. And there are certain grades of mine I'm really disappointed with too! Like my maths - I know I laugh about how dreadful I am at maths but really, seeing a 1 on my paper today was extremely disappointing. But I'm going to work harder than ever before over the next few months and accept any help I can - even if that does mean having a private tutor - and I'm going to get that 4 in maths by June. And you, my chica, are going to get a 4 or above in Spanish." 

"I highly-" 

"Have confidence! We both have subjects that we struggled with, and got low grades in today. Joachim.. did you fail any of your subjects?" 

"Yeah," Joachim, who was eating an apple, unable to wait until they went into the lunch hall for their lunch, nodded. "I failed science, and although I didn't fail English, I was really disappointed with my grades." 

"What did you get?" Jorge asked him, raising his eyebrows. 

"4s in both. I was especially disappointed with my story in English language - I was so proud of it and only got half marks." 

"A 4 is still great though! But back to my point. Motsi, chica... my maths grade was dreadful. You didn't get the grade you wanted-" 

"You're allowed to say my grade was shit.." Motsi's tone was bitter. 

"In Spanish, and Joachim didn't get the grades he wanted in science and English. We all didn't do as well as we hoped this time - but next time, we will. Because we are going to support one another through this. I think we should get up a weekly study session." 

"I don't think it'll-" 

"That way," Jorge continued, "we'll be able to help one another through these exams. Because we all have different strengths. Joachim, you're good at maths, so-" 

"Jorge, I got the 4 by two marks. I'd hardly call myself good at maths," Joachim laughed, still holding Motsi's hand, stroking it with his thumb. 

"Yeah, but you're better than Motsi and I, so we have maths help. And Jonathan is another option. Motsi, you're really good at English language and literature. And Joachim and I are both native Spanish speakers. The three of us have our strengths and weaknesses, and we're going to help each other. And in March, when we do our next round of mocks, we are going to be so proud of ourselves and the grades we get!" 

"Jorge.." Motsi said, lifting her head from her best friend's chest, "I really admire how you always manage to stay so positive." 

"Whenever you're faced with negativity, always try and find the positive," Jorge replied wisely. "And tonight, do you know what we're going to do? We are, if your parents are okay with it of course, going to go shopping together and get dinner." 

"That sounds like a great idea," Joachim nodded, smiling. "I'm sure my mum and dad will be okay with that - I'll have to ask them but I'm sure it'll be fine." 

"I'm sure it'll be fine with my mum as well." 

"That's great!" Jorge beamed, continuing to stroke his hand up and down Motsi's back, just as he watched everyone filing back into the school. "Right, we really need to go back inside now." 

"Could you tell the teacher that I'll be a few minutes late?" Motsi asked, wiping her eyes. "I.. I need to wash my face." 

"Of course I can, chica. Don't be so hard on yourself, okay? And don't let others bring you down. Because you're doing so well, and I know that you'll improve and get where you want to eventually." Jorge gave her a huge hug. 

"Thank you so much, guys. I love you both so much." 

"And we love you so much too, Motsi. Always." 

.. 

"Hola, Mami!" Jorge called out, as he walked through the door after school. "Hola, Papi! Mami, please would it be okay if I go out to the shopping centre tonight at around 6? I said I'd meet Joachim and Motsi there to have dinner and shop for a while to celebrate our results.. I promise I'll be home by 9.30. I'll leave around 8.45, but I need to walk Joachim and Motsi home for 9, so I might be a little later than that." 

"Of course, darling," Silvana smiled, more than happy to let Jorge go out with his friends. She knew that they would be sensible and would come home on time - they always did, that had never been a problem. 

"How were your mock results, Jorge..?" Alejandro asked, coming through to the lounge with a cup of coffee and the newspaper in which he was doing the crossword. 

"I'm getting a maths tutor." 

"What do you mean?" Silvana questioned, as Alejandro sat down in the armchair. 

"Papi told me I was getting a maths tutor if I didn't pass my mock exam. And I didn't. I got a 1," Jorge explained. "That's the lowest grade you can get." 

"A maths tutor won't be that bad, Jorgito. I know a very nice young man who will be able to help you get your grade up to a 4," Alejandro looked mildly disappointed, but not angry. "His name is Sebastian, and he's from Puerto Rico I believe - I'll call him." 

"Great," Jorge said in a sarcastic tone. "I can hardly wait." 

"How were the rest of your results?" 

Quickly, Jorge listed his results, before showing his parents his results slip. They were happy with the majority of his grades, especially his Spanish, and when he told them that he had been asked if his writing could be shown as a model answer, the pride on their faces was evident. 

"Jorgito, we are so proud of you! Okay, some of your grades need some improving, but we know you can improve them," Silvana told her younger son with a huge smile. "Pablo says you're to call him as soon as you get home - he really wants to know your results too." 

"Thank you! I'm going to do my best to do even better in our March mock exams. And I will, Mami," Jorge nodded, as he ran up the stairs, sitting down on his bed before clicking on Pablo's contact and beginning to call him. 

After two rings, Pablo's face popped up on the screen. He was dressed in his chef uniform and ready to go to work later that day at the restaurant he worked at. 

"Hola, hermano! How did your results go?" 

"It's official. I'm getting a maths tutor." 

"So you didn't pass maths?" 

"Nope. I got a 1, the lowest grade you can get. And to be honest.. I'm really disappointed in myself. Like.. I knew that I wasn't going to pass seeing as I left half the paper blank, but I wasn't expecting to get as few marks as I did, if you get me?" 

"I get you, hermano. I'm so sorry to hear that you didn't do very well - but you'll improve, I promise! And I know you don't want a maths tutor, but I think it will really help you!" 

"Thanks, Pablo. It's at times like this I really wish that I was as good as you at maths. Can you do my exam for me..?" 

"Sadly, I'm not sure that would realistically work," his older brother chuckled. "You'll get it eventually, Jorge! Now tell me, what were your other grades like? What did you get in Spanish?" 

"I got a 9, the highest grade you can get. So did Joachim." 

Pablo began clapping on his end. "That's fantastic, hermano! You should be so proud of yourselves! How did your other friend - Motsi - do?" 

"She didn't do so well. She got a 3 in her reading, writing and listening and a 1 in her oral.. and she was so harsh on herself about it. Joachim and I were trying to tell her though - she's only been learning Spanish two years, she's not got the advantage of speaking it as a first language like we do, and she has no confidence in her abilities. She literally freaked out in the oral and that caused her to forget everything she knew." 

"Bless her. Well, from what I've heard of her speaking Spanish, she's actually pretty good." 

"She really isn't as bad as she makes herself out to be! Okay, she's not fluent. But there's one advantage I had over learning English and German, and that Joachim had when he was learning English.. " 

"Didn't he learn German? I thought you said he lived-" 

"He is German, Pablo," Jorge laughed. "Half German anyway. His father is German, his mother is Spanish. He grew up bilingual."

"Oh. Sorry!" 

"But we both had an advantage. We were surrounded by people constantly speaking it. We had to go out and make ourselves understood in restaurants and shops, and it was all around us in school.. so we picked it up really fast. The only time Motsi speaks Spanish out of school is to Joachim's mum - we always try and speak German to Joachim's dad and Spanish to his mum. Oh, and to our mum and dad, of course. Ever since we became friends with Joachim, and she started learning it in school, Motsi has started speaking Spanish to Mami and Papi." 

"It is a lot easier to learn a language when you're constantly surrounded by it," Pablo agreed, remembering his first few months in Germany. At first in school, he had been completely baffled by what was going on around him, barely able to speak German apart from a few phrases he was able to parrot from phrase books his parents had bought him to practice from, like Where is the library? But after a few rather scary months, he was able to speak English to a high level. "I've only been with the three of you once. What language do you guys generally speak when you're together? You, Joachim and Motsi." 

"Sometimes German. Mainly English, though, seeing as we have other friends as well who don't speak German. When Joachim and I are alone together we often speak Spanish to each other - our first conversation was actually in Spanish." 

"Why don't you and Joachim talk to Motsi in Spanish some of the time? Help her build her confidence up a little bit?" 

"That's actually a good suggestion.. we do sometimes do that, but we could definitely try to do that with her more often. Thanks, hermano!" 

"You're welcome! Now, tell me about your other grades." 

Over the next half hour, whilst he straightened his hair, and picked out what he was going to wear, Jorge told his brother about his other grades, and told him all about the feedback that his teachers had given him. 

And all the time he was talking, Pablo sat there in silence listening to him, a smile on his face, beyond proud of his younger brother for all he was achieving. 

... 

The trio had arranged to meet at the fountain at the entrance to the shopping centre, and Joachim and Motsi were already waiting there when Jorge arrived. 

"Right, where do you want to go for dinner..?" he asked them, walking over to them.

"Anywhere except KFC is fine by me," replied Joachim, as they began to walk towards the escalators that would lead them up to the food court. 

"I'm fine with pretty much anywhere as well," Motsi agreed, who wasn't the greatest fan of making decisions. She was generally happy to go along with what her two best friends wanted. It was usually Jorge that made the decisions in their friendship. 

In the end, they ended up going to McDonald's, somewhere where they all liked. Whilst Jorge went to order, knowing his friends' order off by heart, Joachim and Motsi found a table and sat down. 

"How did your parents take your results?" Motsi asked. 

"Apart from the science that I failed, they were really happy," the German-Spaniard replied, with a smile. "They were especially happy with my Spanish." 

"My mum was really happy with my grades too. She actually took my Spanish result really well - she said that she was proud of me no matter what and that she believes that I can pass in the summer." 

"The only person who doesn't believe you can pass your Spanish is you," Joachim told her, looking her deep in the eyes. "Seriously - I know you're gutted with your result - but the only person who doesn't have faith in you is you. Both Jorge and I know you can get there, and I know that Mrs Kelly thinks so too, and my mum also said that she totally believes in you. As I've said before, you seriously need more confidence." 

"I really need to borrow some confidence from our Jorgito." 

"You both need to borrow confidence from me. Both of you have nowhere near the amount of confidence that you should have in yourself." Jorge came back with their food, sitting down opposite Motsi and Joachim. "Bon appetit. Or, as the Spaniards would say - aproveche." 

"So, Jorge, are you getting a maths tutor?" Joachim questioned, as they began to tuck into their food. 

"Of course. My dad was on the phone almost as soon as I told him that I didn't pass. And by the time I left the house to meet you two, he had fixed up tutoring sessions." 

"Who's your tutor, then?" 

Jorge opened another sachet of ketchup. "His name's Sebastian, he's Puerto Rican, and he starts on Saturday. I have to do two tutoring sessions with him a week - one on Saturday mornings from 10 until 1, and then one on Wednesday evenings from 4 until 7. So yeah.. that's fun." 

"I wish you luck." 

"Oh, thanks so much, Joachim. Anyway, I think we should stop talking about school for now and enjoy our evening without thinking about anything school-related." 

"Great idea!" Joachim nodded, taking a sip of his water. 

Jorge grinned. "Right, where are we wanting to go first?" 

.. 

Before he met Jorge and Motsi, Joachim loathed shopping. Someone who knew little about fashion, walking round the shopping centre (where 80% of the shops were clothes shops) couldn't have been more boring for him. 

The only time that he remotely enjoyed shopping was when it was for golfing stuff. 

His parents used to love going into town regularly to go to the shopping centre, and due to being overly anxious about being left home alone and his parents being protective, Joachim was forced to go with them - unless his grandparents were free to look after him for a few hours. He remembered all those shopping trips where his parents would be animatedly looking round the shops and he would be trailing after them, dragging his feet, daydreaming, talking in his head to his imaginary friend Thomas and praying they would say it was time to go home again very soon. He still didn't much enjoy shopping with his parents, but he actually quite enjoyed shopping with Jorge and Motsi. Although they loved shopping in clothes stores - his worst nightmare - Jorge was the kind of person who could make sitting in a doctors surgery for three hours fun, through his bubbly personality and ability to chat for hours. Motsi wasn't quite as talkative as their Cuban friend, but she was also so much fun to spend time with, so Joachim actually found himself enjoying himself these days when he went around the shops with them. 

The only thing was, though, when Jorge went into a shop... it was hard to get him out. 

Currently, it was nearing the time at which they needed to leave the shopping centre and begin heading home. They had been in and out of several stores over the last hour or so, chatting about literally everything but school, having the best time together. 

Motsi and Joachim presently were sitting on a bench outside one of the clothes stores, waiting for Jorge, who was inside. Motsi had Snapchat open on her phone, and the two of them were taking photos with different filters, laughing at the results. 

"I actually really like that one," Joachim beamed, as he gazed at the photo Motsi had just snapped of the two of them, in which they had love hearts floating around their heads. "Can I post it? I'll give all photo credits to you." 

"Of course! And no need." Motsi quickly sent the photo across to Joachim, who saved it before opening up the Instagram app and quickly typing out a caption. 

Joachimllambi: the girl I consider my best friend. ❤

Almost immediately after he posted it, a notification came up, alerting Joachim to the fact that Jorge had just liked and commented on it. Amused, he opened the notification. 

TheJorgeGonzalez: I love you both loads ❤

Joachimllambi: Jorge, I love you too, but why are you standing around the place commenting on my post when you should be paying for your purchases? 

TheJorgeGonzalez: I am currently in the back of an obnoxiously long queue 😂 if we are late home, I'll tell your parents it's all my fault 😂 

"Why is Jorge like this?" Joachim laughed. 

Motsi shrugged. "That's Jorge Gonzalez for you." 

Jorge emerged from the shop with his purchases a few moments later, at exactly the time they'd planned to leave, and Joachim breathed a sigh of relief. After they took one more photo on snapchat, all three of them (which Motsi said that she would post later), they began to head home together rather regrettably.

Jorge dropped Joachim home first, and he and Motsi were both extremely pleased when Veronica came out and gave them each a chocolate chip cookie to take home with them. He took Motsi back to her house next, and got held up for five minutes whilst Oti and Phemelo told him absolutely everything that they did on Christmas break. After promising to come round again soon, Jorge said goodbye to Motsi, telling her that he loved her and that he was proud of her no matter what grades she got. He also told her about Pablo's suggestion, and she smiled, saying that that could actually be a really good idea and that yes, maybe they should try it. 

When Jorge arrived home at last, just before 9.30, he chatted with his parents for a few moments before heading upstairs to his bedroom with his shopping bags. Sitting down on his bed, he pulled out his phone and smiled to see that he had been tagged in a post by Motsi just a few moments previously. 

motsimabusexo: when you find people who love you and accept you for who you are , check up on you often , will stand by you no matter what , never upset you or put you down , and cheer you up whenever you are feeling sad ... then make sure that you NEVER let them go . People like that are hard to find , and even harder to replace !!!! ❤❤❤

joachimllambi: ❤❤❤

TheJorgeGonzalez: chica.. I love you and I'm so proud of you. And you'll always be like my sister ❤


	26. ballroom and latin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Longest chapter yet, and my favourite chapter so far ;) 
> 
> Enjoy!

"Okay, so in our last lesson we all talked about our written mock exams," Mrs Kelly addressed her class, the majority of which looked completely demotivated. "So this lesson, we are going to be focusing on our oral exams." 

Motsi, who was sitting next to Jorge, stiffened. This was not something she wanted to spend a whole lesson talking about - not after the disaster that was her oral mock exam. Jorge felt her stiffen and gave her a comforting look, knowing exactly how she felt about this situation. Joachim, who was sitting not too far from them, also glanced over at her comfortingly. 

After their trip to the shops the other night, the trio - and pretty much everyone else in the class, apart from the odd few - had settled down to seriously revising for their March mock exams. Some nights it was hard to get motivated, but other nights it was much easier, and Joachim, Jorge and Motsi always encouraged one another and praised each other for their achievements, no matter how small. They had already devised a study timetable, and had planned that at least one day a week, they were going to meet up outside of school and revise together. 

"Some of you did very well-" Mrs Kelly's eyes rested on Joachim, Jorge and Jason, "and some of you did not so well. But for those who didn't do so well - that's okay. This was just a practice, and you have three months to redeem yourselves. One thing I noticed about a lot of you, however, was that you were very nervous and didn't have much confidence in yourselves at all. We can't have that when you do your official oral exams at the end of April. So next Monday, all of us - even the ones that did really well, because you still need to practice - are going to stand before our classmates and we are going to talk about our chosen photo." 

Motsi stiffened even more. She didn't like presenting in front of the class in English, a language she was fluent in - let alone Spanish, which she wasn't great at. She could see it now - a repeat of her mock exam, where she just forgot all her words and everything she knew and broke down in front of the class. 

Whilst her best friends, due to being fluent, did an almost perfect presentation. 

"I can't," she whispered.

"Yes, you can," Jorge whispered back. "You can do this, my chica." 

"I'm only doing this to help you guys get over your lack of confidence. It will just be all of us - and don't worry, nobody will be judging you," Mrs Kelly continued. 

"Mrs Kelly, do we also have to do the other part of our oral? The part where you question us?" Jason asked, raising his hand. 

"I might ask you a couple of questions about your photo, but it won't be the full thing," Mrs Kelly replied, making Motsi sigh slightly with relief. She hated the spontaneous question and answer section the most - that was where she had completely and utterly lost it in the exam, after just about managing to get through her presentation without breaking down in tears. "Right, for the rest of the lesson, I want you to get into partners and practice your presentations together. I'll let you choose who you want to work with, but if there is any arguing, then I'll choose for you." 

"Mrs Kelly, can I work in a three with Joachim and Motsi?" Jorge raised his hand. 

"Of course, Jorge." 

Jorge beamed and Joachim moved his chair across to where the Cuban and Motsi were sitting, bringing his Spanish book with him. 

"I really cannot do this," Motsi said with a look of fear in her eyes. 

"Motsi, you can. You've just got no confidence in yourself, that's all," Joachim told her. 

"How am I meant to have confidence in myself if I can't even speak the language?" Motsi almost snapped, seeing that Mrs Kelly had gone off to help Giovanni, Graziano and Bruno, who were also working in a three. "Sorry- I didn't mean it to sound like that. I just - I just don't want to mess up. It was bad enough messing up just in front of Mrs Kelly and the invigilator - I'll die of embarrassment if I mess up in front of the entire class, I really will." 

"Motsi.. why don't you come over to mine this weekend..?" Joachim suggested. "I'd have to make sure it was okay with my parents, but you could stay over on Saturday and then we could practice our presentations together. I would ask you if you wanted to come over as well, Jorge, but I know you're busy on Saturday night." 

"Yep, Papi's birthday," nodded Jorge, "but thanks for the offer anyway." 

"Do you want to then, Motsi?" Joachim asked his friend, and Motsi nodded. "That would be great, though I'm not sure how much it'll help me. I'll have to talk to my mum, but we haven't got anything big on this weekend so I can't see why she would say no." 

"Perfect! I'll message you later and let you know what Mum says. But I honestly can't see her saying no - it's not a special occasion in our house, and Mum just loves it when I have friends over. I think after years of not having friends, she's just grateful that I have people to bring home with me." 

Joachim still remembered how excited his parents had been when he asked if he could invite his two new friends round for dinner, just over a year ago. He had never seen them both so excited. The way that Markus and Veronica had reacted, you would have thought they were having royalty round for dinner, the German-Spaniard had always joked. 

"Well then, that's sorted!" Motsi smiled. 

Looking down at her book, and then glancing across to see that Mrs Kelly was heading in their direction, she sighed. 

"Come on, then. I guess that we had better get to work on practicing these." 

..

Saturday afternoon, and Joachim was tidying his room, waiting for Motsi to arrive. His mum had been more than happy for his south African friend to stay over, as he had suspected - she very rarely said no to his friends coming over, and there was always a pretty good reason, like a family birthday, if she did say no. 

Finishing making his bed, Joachim grinned across at the desk, which he had already set up for his and Motsi's study session. His Spanish books lay upon the white top, along with a pot (which was actually an empty Pringles can) of pens and pencils, and some revision snacks - some ready salted Pringles, some grapes, some dark chocolate, and some raisin bread for himself. Usually, if Jorge was coming over to revise, he would have bananas on there as well, but seeing as Jorge wasn't coming tonight, the table was devoid of the yellow fruit.

At that moment, the doorbell rang, and Joachim practically bounded downstairs where Veronica was just opening the door to Motsi. 

"Hey!" he beamed, welcoming his friend with a hug as he always did. "Are you ready for our study session?" 

"Yep!" Motsi nodded, gesturing to the bag on her back. 

"Mum, what time will dinner be ready..?" Joachim questioned, as they made their way to the stairs, to head up to his bedroom. 

"Around 8 or 9," responded Veronica, smiling as her son and his best friend nodded and ran up the stairs. 

Before they moved across the country, Veronica had spent many moments wondering if it was the best idea to do so. The main reason they moved was Joachim - he was so unhappy the last few months in their old home, coming home every night and crying inconsolably for at least half an hour. The sound of her son sobbing alone in his room was one that she heard way too often in those final months, and it damn near broke both her and Markus's hearts to hear it every night. 

Though there was no way that she would have stayed there and let Joachim stay that way any longer, she did sometimes wonder if moving away from an area where both she and Markus had stable jobs and liked in general was a particularly good idea. But she fell in love with their area when they moved in the July, immediately loved the people and the house and everything else. 

And when Joachim came home one night a few weeks after he started his new school, beaming all over his face, telling her excitedly that he had two new friends, Jorge Gonzalez and Motsi Mabuse, Veronica knew that it had been the right decision. 

"I remember when I first came to your house, I was so surprised to hear how late you eat dinner," Motsi laughed, as she and Joachim entered his room, Joachim closing the door behind him. 

"Eating dinner at 8 or 9 is actually considered early for some Spaniards. Especially in the summer - when I go to visit my family in Spain, it's not unusual for us to eat dinner at like 10 or 11pm," replied Joachim with a laugh. "I was stunned at how early you eat! But then again, you do have two much younger sisters, so I suppose that's part of it." 

"True," Motsi nodded. "Right, I suppose we had better get started on the Spanish." 

"Yes, I think so," Joachim agreed, sitting down at his desk. "Right, what I think we should do is just keep reading our presentations out loud over and over.. that's how I learn things anyway. And we should probably plan for any questions that we are likely to be asked - do you remember anything that you were asked in your mock exam?" 

Motsi shook her head. "I've blocked it out my memory. I think I was asked about if this was my first time going on a residential school trip.." 

"That's something to work with. And there's limited questions Mrs Kelly can ask - we can work something out together." Joachim smiled at his friend comfortingly. 

"Joachim.. can we practice yours first..?" Motsi asked, as she took a grape from the bowl and popped it in her mouth. 

"Of course! Go on, test me," Joachim said confidently, handing Motsi his book. As he got the timer ready, Motsi read in admiration down the page covered in his large, rather messy writing, with very few corrections from Mrs Kelly. 

"Okay," Motsi said, pulling Joachim's phone with the timer on it closer towards her and pressing the button. "Go!" 

Joachim cleared his throat before beginning to recite the presentation that he, over the last few weeks, had learned off by heart.

This photo was taken on a family holiday two years ago. We go on a family holiday most years, usually abroad, and two years ago, we went to Paris, the capital of France. There are five people in the photo - my mum, my dad, my maternal grandparents, and last but not least, me. My paternal grandmother was actually there as well - my paternal grandfather died many years ago - but she is not in the photo as she was the one who took it. I am the only child in the photo, due to the fact that I am my parent's only child - I have no brothers or sisters. We are all standing at the bottom of the Eiffel Tower, which is possibly the most famous landmark in France and one of the most famous landmarks in the world. We are all wearing coats and scarves because it was raining and cold - however, ironically, it was actually August when we went! In the background, you can see lots of other people - the Eiffel Tower is a place that almost everyone wants to visit when they go to Paris - and some trees as well. I love this photo because it reminds me of the fun I had on holiday with my family, and the memories that we made together. I hope that we can return to Paris as a family in the future. 

"Joachim, that was fantastic!" Motsi cried, applauding her friend. "You literally said it word for word." 

"Thank you, Motsi!" Joachim blushed slightly. "Right, let's hear your one, and then we can practice questions later." 

"Do I have to..?" 

"Yes, you do. Come on, Motsi.. you can do this. You just don't have any confidence yet, but you will do soon, I promise."

In many aspects, Motsi had always been the one, along with Jorge, trying to boost Joachim's confidence in himself. But in regards to Spanish, Joachim was the confident one, and Motsi was the one whose confidence needed boosting. 

"Okay," she sighed, picking up her book and handing it to Joachim, before beginning to recite everything that she remembered from her presentation. She had made some corrections to the one that she had read to Joachim and Jorge a few weeks back, making it longer at Mrs Kelly's advice. 

"This photo was taken last year, when I went with my school on a trip to Spain," Motsi began hesitantly, as Joachim sat and smiled at her encouragingly. "It was taken when we all went skiing at the most famous ski resort in the country, and in this photo, I am with my two best friends. In the photo, you can see we are all wearing winter clothes-" 

Forgetting the word for although, she reached over and stopped the timer. 

"Motsi, that was great! Why did you stop?" 

"Because I forgot the word for although." 

"Aunque is the word," Joachim responded. "Okay, start again. Go." 

This photo was taken last year, when I went with my school on a trip to Spain. It was taken when we all went skiing at the most famous ski resort in the country, and in this photo, I am with my two best friends. In the photo, you can see we are all wearing winter clothes, although it-" Motsi stopped again, making an exasperated noise. 

"Come on, Motsi! Don't stop! You can do this." 

"I forgot how to say it was very hot. I messed up - again. Joachim, I love how supportive you and Jorge both are of me, but I just can't get it right." 

"Hey, hey, don't talk down on yourself," Joachim told her, taking hold of her hands. "Try and stop stressing out about it." 

"Oh thanks, that's great advice, Joachim!" Motsi pulled her hands away. I'll just stop stressing, when I know that on Monday, I'm going to give the worst presentation out of everyone. Thank you so much for that helpful advice." 

Joachim said nothing in response, knowing that she didn't really mean what she was saying, but he couldn't help but look rather hurt. 

"Look, I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Joachim.. I shouldn't have said that," the south African beauty apologised, guilt settling in her stomach as she saw the hurt in his eyes. "I'm sorry. I just.. I'm just so worried that I'm going to mess up on Monday." 

"It's okay. I understand, I really do. I used to be really insecure about speaking English, you know. My accent was something that people found hilarious when I first moved to the UK and I often used to get laughed at for my hesitation when speaking English. All you need, Motsi, is a little confidence. You can do this - Jorge and I wouldn't say that if we didn't believe in you. Remember what I said at the shopping centre?" 

"Hmm?" 

"I told you that the only person that doesn't believe in you is you. Motsi, seriously, you can do this. Now, come on, try it again." 

Motsi sighed. "Okay." 

"And by the way, hacía mucha calor is the phrase you were looking for," Joachim said, picking up the book once again and starting the timer. "3,2,1... go." 

This photo was taken last year, when I went with my school on a trip to Spain. It was taken when we all went skiing at the most famous ski resort in the country. On the trip, we did lots of activities in the snow. In this photo, I am with my two best friends, Joachim and Jorge. In the photo, you can see we are all wearing winter clothes. However, it was actually very hot when we went! You can also see the mountains in the background, and lots of people. The day that we went, there were lots of people there, because the resort is very popular. It is most popular in the winter months. This is one of my favourite photos of my friends and me, because we look so happy. I had the best time with my best friends on this trip and I hope I can go again. 

She spoke rather hesitantly, but she got through it without a single mistake, and when she came to the end just as the timer started beeping, Joachim let out a cheer. 

"You did it, Motsi!" he cried, leaping out of his seat and jumping up and down. "Give me a high five!" 

Motsi stood up with tears of pride in her eyes and returned the high five. 

"See? I told you you could do it! You just need to have more confidence in yourself!"

"Thank you, Joachim!" the south African exclaimed, actually rather proud of herself. 

"Jorge and I don't tell you you can do things just because you're our best friend. We tell you because we have so much belief in you, and we want you to have that belief in yourself." The German-Spaniard began to unwrap his raisin bread, suddenly feeling quite hungry. "Go again." 

"You mean.. do the presentation again..?" 

"Yes!" Joachim nodded, taking a bite out of his raisin bread. 

Motsi repeated her presentation twice more, and by the third time, she actually sounded confident in what she was saying, something she generally didn't sound when speaking Spanish. Joachim sat there with an encouraging smile watching her, eating his raisin bread, so proud of his best friend. He knew that she could do it - all she needed to find was her confidence. He just hoped that on Monday afternoon, she would be able to keep it together and present exactly like she currently was. 

"I think you've got it!" Joachim told a much more confident-looking Motsi, clapping wildly after she got it right for the third time. "I'm so proud of you! Right, do you want me to help you plan some answers to questions that Mrs Kelly might ask you?" 

"Yes please," Motsi confirmed, blushing at her best friend's praise. 

For the next couple of hours they worked together on planning answers for questions they could potentially get asked, and learning the answers. By the time that they were called for dinner by Veronica, Motsi was feeling so much more confident about the presentation on Monday, and she credited that to the help and support of Joachim. 

"Thank you so much for helping me," she thanked him, as they packed up their stuff and began to head downstairs for the evening meal. 

"You're more than welcome! I'm glad that I could help you get more confident. And I promise you, you're going to be absolutely fine on Monday," Joachim told her, leading the way downstairs, where Veronica and Markus were already sitting at the table. "After we finish dinner, I vote that we watch a movie together and relax - we've been really productive this evening." 

"Sounds good to me," Motsi smiled, as she took her seat at the table. "Gracias, Veronica. Para la cena." 

"De nada, Motsi," Joachim's mum replied. "How did you two get on with your revision? Did you get a lot done?" 

"We actually were so productive! And Motsi is so much more confident on her oral now.. as long as she has confidence in herself, then I know she'll be great on Monday." 

"Well done, Motsi!" Veronica praised the young girl. "Speaking in a foreign language can be very hard sometimes, but with some confidence you'll be great." 

"We'll probably just watch a movie till we sleep," Joachim said, as he cut up his chicken - they were having chicken, rice and vegetables for dinner that night, a favourite of his. 

"Good idea - you deserve the rest of the night off! You're both working very hard." 

Motsi took a sip of her water. "We've got so much work to do over the next few months, but it'll all be worth it when we get the grades that we want to get." 

"Of course it will," Veronica nodded. "I always tell our Joachim - hard work pays off." 

"You do tell me that and it's so true. With hard work Jorge is going to get that 4 in math, I'm going to get my English grades up to where I want them to be, and you, Motsi, are going to pass your Spanish and your maths." 

"I hope you're right, Joachim," Motsi chuckled lightly, popping another piece of chicken into her mouth. 

All she wanted right now, was to open that envelope in August and be proud of each and every one of the grades upon the folded slip of paper inside. 

Once they had finished up with dinner, Joachim and Motsi both headed back up to the bedroom to watch a movie together. After choosing a movie - that movie being a comedic movie named Life of the Party - they changed into their pyjamas. 

"Do you want some ice cream?" Joachim asked, as they were about to start the movie. "I think we have some vanilla, some strawberry and some chocolate chip ice cream in the freezer. Oh, and we have mint chocolate chip as well, but we literally only keep that in the house for Jorge." 

"Mint chocolate ice cream is disgusting, I'm sorry." 

"We literally only keep bananas and mint chocolate chip ice cream in the house for when Jorge comes round here. Bananas are revolting, and as for mint chocolate ice cream.. why would anyone want to eat something that tastes like toothpaste?" 

"I agree. But yes please to some ice cream! I'll have some strawberry if you have it," Motsi replied with a smile. 

"Okay! Wait here and I'll go get us some," Joachim told her, before running downstairs to the kitchen and getting out the ice cream from their freezer, after asking his parents if they wanted any. He made Motsi's first, before putting some rainbow sprinkles on hers as he knew she liked them. After that, he made his own - deciding on chocolate ice cream. Filling another bowl with ice cream, he reached into the cupboard and found a packet of little boxes of Smarties that had not yet been opened. Opening two of the tiny boxes, he sprinkled the contents over his ice cream, then got out two spoons and made his way back upstairs, where Motsi was cuddled up on the bed that Joachim had made her up whilst she was putting her pyjamas on. 

"Thank you!" she smiled, taking the bowl from him. 

"You're welcome. Let's get watching the movie, shall we..?" Joachim pressed play and settled down on his bed, beginning to eat his ice cream. 

Motsi and Joachim both found themselves greatly enjoying the movie, about a mother who, after her split from her husband, decided to go back to college to complete the degree she never finished. There were some hilarious moments that had the two of them laughing loudly, and during one scene, set at a party, Joachim jumped off the bed. 

"Ever watched The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air?" 

"What's that..? Is that a movie..?" 

"Guessing you haven't, then. It's actually a TV series, and there is this really famous scene where two of the characters dance to this song." Joachim paused the movie before going back about 30 seconds. "Let me demonstrate." 

The music started once more and Joachim began to dance the choreography from one of the sitcom's most well-known scenes. Motsi watched on as Joachim moved his body rhythmically, adding in some of his own choreography at the end, cheering as the scene changed and he posed with his hands on his hips. 

"You're a great dancer!" she exclaimed, as he got back onto the bed. 

"Thanks," he beamed, cuddling back under the covers to watch the rest of the movie. "I really quite enjoy dancing." 

"Joachim.." Motsi paused the movie, looking at him seriously. "I know you left dance classes.. but why don't you go back?" 

"What? Oh no.. I'm really not sure about that. I enjoy dancing but.." 

"What's stopping you going back? Seriously, Joachim. You're such a good dancer.. and you always look so happy when you're dancing. Why don't you go back to classes?" 

Joachim didn't say anything. 

"Look.. you don't have to talk about it.. but why exactly did you stop dancing..?" 

Joachim sighed. "Similar to what happened at the Christmas show. I messed up on stage. Only it was actually worse than what happened at the Christmas show. And I knew I could never go back - the bullying I got about it in school was bad enough, let alone at dance classes." 

"What happened? Did you forget your steps?" 

"No. I threw up all over the stage," Joachim responded, thinking back to that night, and the embarrassment that it had brought. "And it was one of the most embarrassing moments of my entire life, Motsi." 

Motsi moved closer to him. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"I.. I'd not been feeling well that day," Joachim began to recount, "but I put it down to just being nervous about dancing. It was the biggest audience I'd danced in front of, and so I thought it was just worries about it being anything less than perfection. Mum and Dad were there, and.. and a friend. Anyway, when I was dancing.. I knew that it wasn't the best that I'd danced it. I knew I'd stumbled a few times but I couldn't get rid of the sick feeling in my stomach, even when I was dancing. And.. when I did my final spin, which was meant to end the dance.. I threw up everywhere. There were a few claps, yes, but everyone else just burst out laughing. I ran off the stage, feeling judged the entire way back to the dressing room.. I then begged my mum to let us leave, and we were gone before the show ended.. and since then I've not been back to dance classes. I just couldn't face going back." 

"Oh, Joachim!" Motsi couldn't imagine how embarrassing that must have been for the German-Spaniard. She now understood exactly why he had given up - and to be honest she would likely have wanted to do the same had she been in the same position. 

"So yeah.. I've not exactly been thrilled to return to dance classes.." 

"I completely understand that," Motsi said softly. "I likely would have been the exact same in your position, you know. But you know, Joachim... you're well away from your old dance school and your old home now. Here, it's very unlikely that anyone would know who you are or what happened back there. I would never pressure you into something that you don't want to do - because that's just wrong - but I think you should try and put the past behind you and go back to doing something you really enjoyed. What type of dance did you do before you quit?" 

"Ballroom and Latin.." 

"Well, at the dance school that I attend, there is a Ballroom and Latin class. Saturday mornings, Monday nights, Wednesday nights. I can find you the times if you like - they mostly coincide with my classes." Motsi did modern dance. "If you wanted to give it a go that is. I think you would really enjoy it.." 

Joachim thought about it for a few moments, thinking back to his dance classes, without thinking about the incident on stage. He really had enjoyed them, had loved the feeling that he got from dancing and the feeling of performing on stage. He had loved how when he was dancing, he could just forget what was going on at school and the bullying he was suffering - escape into his own world almost. He even had a few friends at dancing class - okay, they were more people that were nice to him and talked to him, but they weren't close - and the more he thought about it, the more he realised just how much he really did miss it, bar that incident that had made him leave. 

That incident was the one and only thing that made him leave. Without it, he probably would have continued dancing until he and his family moved across the country to get away from their old home. 

And Motsi made a very good point when she said that nobody here knew about.. that incident. Nobody would know that he was sick all down himself on stage. Nobody would know any of that. And if fear of people knowing about and talking about that incident was the main reason that he was so scared to go back (along with being afraid that the same thing would happen again), then why shouldn't he go back? 

"Maybe I'll give it a go," the German-Spaniard gave a small smile, deciding that maybe putting the past behind him and going back to dancing Ballroom and Latin was a great idea. 

After all, he hadn't wanted to go on stage again at Christmas after he forgot the words to the Spanish version of Rudolph and was mocked by Jason, until he was convinced by Jorge and Motsi to go back on and sing the song from the musical he loved so much.

And how had that night ended? He had sung his solo really well, he received a rather sincere apology from the Australian that had mocked him, he had made his best friends and his family proud, and most importantly.. he had made himself proud. Not someone to be proud of himself and his achievements very often, he had actually gone home that night smiling, feeling proud of himself and what he had achieved. 

"I'll talk to my mum now, if she's still awake." 

"Yay!" Motsi cried, running over and hugging him. "I'm so proud of you! I promise you, you'll love it. And if you don't.. then you can always leave again." 

"That's true," Joachim nodded. "Okay.. I'll go see if she's still awake." 

Practically skipping after him, Motsi followed his friend to find his mum. Veronica was sitting up in bed reading a book, Markus doing the exact same. 

"Mum..?" 

"Joachim..? Are you okay?" 

"I'm fine," Joachim nodded, stepping into the bedroom, Motsi by his side. "Mum... Motsi and I were just chatting, and I wondered.. could I go back to dance..? I realised just how much I miss it, and Motsi tells me that at the dance school she goes to, there's a Ballroom and Latin class on.. what days again, Motsi?" 

"Saturday mornings, Monday nights, Wednesday nights." Motsi reeled off. 

"And I was wondering if it would be okay for me to go back..?" 

Veronica and Markus both exchanged rather surprised glances. It was clear they had not expected their son to ask them that. 

"Are you sure this is what you want to do, darling..?" Veronica asked. 

"I think so.. yes," Joachim confirmed with a nod of his head. 

"Oh, come here, darling," Veronica said in a rather choked voice, getting up out of bed and walking over to envelop Joachim in a huge hug. "I'm so proud of you, you know that? And of course you can go.. as long as you're sure it's what you want." 

"It is. I want to put what happened back.. back at the other place behind me. I don't want to spend the rest of my life feeling ashamed of myself for one incident." 

"I'm honestly so proud of you, Joachim," Veronica told her son sincerely, and Markus nodded in agreement, which was a sign that he too was very proud indeed. He wasn't always the best at putting his feelings into words, but Joachim could tell that he felt some element of pride tonight. 

"I'll get him signed up to try it all out next Saturday if you like," Motsi entered the conversation. "See if he likes it." 

"That would be great, thank you, Motsi," Veronica smiled warmly at the young girl. 

"Okay, I think Motsi and I will go back and continue watching the movie we were watching now," Joachim said a few moments later, letting out a loud yawn, feeling very tired all of a sudden. "Thank you for saying I can go back to dance. Night, Mum, night, Dad.. love you." 

"Love you too, Joachim." 

"Love you too, darling. Night night." 

Joachim smiled at his parents before heading back into his bedroom. Motsi made to follow him, but Veronica held her back, with the intention of saying something to her in private. 

"I'll be along in a moment, Joachim!" she called down the corridor after her German-Spanish friend. 

"Motsi.. I just wanted to thank you," Veronica said in English, closing the door to give them some privacy. "For everything you've done for Joachim. It's obvious that you've given him the confidence to go back to dance, and I want to thank you for being such a good friend to him - you and Jorge have literally done wonders for his confidence and happiness." 

Touched, Motsi replied, "you really don't need- " 

"He's extremely lucky to have friends like you -" Markus entered the conversation at that moment, speaking in English also, "and as my wife here says, it's obvious that you have given him this confidence. So thank you for being such a great friend to him and for giving him this confidence to dance again. And pass this on to Jorge too." 

"You're welcome," Motsi replied, not really knowing how to respond to these compliments. "Jorge and I are very lucky to have Joachim as a friend." 

Veronica smiled at her again before opening the door for her. "Anyway, I won't keep you any longer, because I know you and Joachim are watching a movie, but-" and she lowered her voice again, though Joachim's bedroom door was closed and he more than likely couldn't hear very well, "thank you." 

After saying goodnight to Joachim's parents, Motsi made her way back to Joachim's bedroom, where she could hear the movie had begun to play again. 

Opening the door, she beamed, "I'm back!" 

There was no response.

Motsi glanced over at Joachim's bed and chuckled to see that the German-Spaniard had already dozed off, curled up on his side, cuddling his pillow as though it were a teddy bear. Quietly, she tiptoed across to the bed and paused the movie, before beginning to get her stuff for bed. Making her way back over to the door to go and brush her teeth, she cursed under her breath as she knocked something off Joachim's desk with her overnight bag. 

Joachim immediately sat bolt upright in bed, jumping violently. 

"Sorry, sorry! I didn't mean to wake you. I just knocked your textbook off the desk with my bag." 

"It's fine, Motsi. To be honest, I didn't realise I'd fallen asleep. How long have you been back in the room? Were you talking to my parents for a long time..?" 

"You've probably only been asleep like two minutes," Motsi chuckled, "it was a very short conversation we had. Go back to sleep.. I'm going to go and brush my teeth." 

"Okay," Joachim nodded, laying back down comfortably in bed and beginning to cuddle his pillow once more. "Goodnight, Motsi. Thanks for a great day." 

"Thank you for a great day. And thank you for always helping me so much," Motsi replied, before padding across the landing to the bathroom with her night bag. 

Five minutes later when she came back, dressed in her nightgown, all ready to sleep, Joachim was asleep once more, cuddling his pillow. Laying down in the bed that the German-Spaniard had made up for her, suddenly exhausted, she whispered "night, Joachim,", though she knew she would receive no response. 

Ten minutes later, both Joachim and Motsi were sleeping calmly, both of their last thoughts before they drifted off being how grateful they both were to have one another - and Jorge of course - in their lives.


	27. presentations

Monday afternoon, and after lunch, all of the year 11 students went to their Spanish lesson - some with Mr Frieling, some with Mrs Kelly. 

Motsi felt incredibly sick to the stomach as she sat down in her seat next to Jorge, knowing that sometime in the next hour, she was going to be forced to stand before her classmates and present her photo, and answer spontaneous questions. She felt slightly more prepared than before this weekend - working with Joachim had actually really helped - but it didn't lessen her anxiety about having to speak in front of everyone in a language she wasn't exactly comfortable speaking in. 

Why can't speaking exams just not exist? she said inside her head, as Mrs Kelly walked in and closed the door behind her, greeting the fifteen or so students in her class. 

"Good afternoon, everyone. Have you all got your presentations ready?" 

There was a general chorus of yes around the room, and the teacher smiled, satisfied. 

"Good. Right, one by one in no particular order I'm going to call you out to the front and get you to present your photo to the class. Does anyone want to go first?" 

"I'll go first," Jorge raised his hand confidently after a couple of minutes of rather predictable silence from the other students. 

"Good, Jorge!" 

"Good luck!" Motsi whispered, as the Cuban made his way to the front of the class. 

If only she could have Jorge's confidence! 

Jorge stood before his classmates, holding his photo up for everyone to see, and Mrs Kelly got ready to start the timer on her computer. 

"Okay.. start." 

Jorge didn't even need to look down at the photo of him and his family dining in Cuba to help him think of things to say. He had rehearsed the presentation so much that he knew it off by heart. 

This photo, a favourite of mine, was taken last summer in my birth country Cuba. Every year, my parents and I go back to Cuba in the summer and at Christmas to visit the rest of our family, something that I always look forward to. My family is massive but in this photo, there are just four people - me, my dad Alejandro, my mum Silvana, and my brother Pablo, who is eight years older than me and lives in Cuba full time. In this photo, we are sitting at a busy restaurant with a beautiful sea view, having dinner. The food that we are eating is very typically Cuban, and I'm eating one of my favourite dishes - ropa vieja, which is actually the national dish of Cuba. It is sunset in the photo, and we are all wearing summer clothes because the temperatures were very high that day. I remember that we had spent the entire day on the beach you can see in the background before going for dinner that day. This photo always makes me smile whenever I see it - I am very close with my family, especially my brother, and being able to be all together twice a year is something I'll never take for granted. 

"Well done, Jorge! That was excellent!" Mrs Kelly praised the Cuban, as the class gave him a round of applause. "And well done on making the small corrections that I told you to make as well. Right, two questions and then you can sit down again." 

Jorge confidently answered the two questions, before sitting down again, very proud of himself for doing so well. 

"That was amazing!" Motsi whispered as he took his seat. 

"Thank you so much, chica! But you're going to be amazing too - just you wait and see." 

Jason was called up next to talk about his photo. Originally, he had wanted to use the photo of when he went to see My Fair Lady for the first time, for he really liked that one, but he feared the reaction of his classmates if he revealed that he liked theatre. Therefore, he had chosen a photo of him and Ashley when they were about ten years old, at a children's disco not unlike the one that Craig and Jonathan had attended a couple of months previously. Standing before the class, he began to talk as soon as the timer restarted.

This photo was taken six years ago at a children's Halloween disco, when I was almost ten years old. I used to go to these every year, and in this photo, I am with my best friend, Ashley and my younger brother Jamie. Ashley and I look extremely happy because we had just won a game of musical statues and had won a bag of Halloween sweets each, which you can see in the photo. Ashley, who is the tallest boy in the photo, and I are both dressed as vampires, because when we were younger we used to like wearing identical costumes on Halloween. Jamie is dressed as a wizard because he was slightly obsessed with the Harry Potter series. The photo was taken by my mother, and in the background of the photo, you can see lots of other people - these parties were always very popular - and the DJ, who was dressed up as a witch. You can also see the food and drink stall and a huge fake spider that was hung on the wall as decoration. This photo always makes me think of the fun that I used to have at these parties, and reminds me of fun times spent with my best friend.

Joachim and Jorge didn't like Jason, but they had to admit that he was really good at Spanish. The Australian spoke extremely confidently, having memorised what he wanted to say weeks ago, and when it came to the question and answers section, he answered both questions very well, seemingly unfazed. 

"Fantastic, Jason! And it's nice to see somebody who didn't use a holiday photo," Mrs Kelly chuckled, as Jason walked back to his seat, his face slightly flushed. "Not that there's anything wrong with holiday photos, of course... right, we'll have Shirley next." 

Shirley came to the front with her usual overconfidence and delivered a presentation about her photo - which was of her and her older brother David at a family wedding several years previously. Though she had been very scathing towards Motsi when she received the results of her Spanish mock exam, the Wallasey-born made several silly mistakes, like noun and adjective agreement. Jorge knew that it was probably really mean, but he was glad that she didn't deliver an outstanding presentation, and the same with Darcey, who forgot part of her presentation the first time around and had to restart. He was still furious at both girls for making Motsi so upset only days ago. 

Joachim had to go after Darcey, and he rather nervously stood before the class, shuffling from side to side a little. Though he was a fluent Spanish speaker, he wasn't a fan of speaking in front of the class - never had been. He hated the feeling of everyone's eyes being on him only. He had no reason to be nervous, however, for he gave a fantastic presentation, not making any mistakes, and answered the questions confidently and fluently. And at the end, all the other students clapped loudly, including Jason, who couldn't deny the presentation had been really good. 

"Fantastic, Joachim! Really well done. That was exactly what I wanted." 

"Thank you," Joachim replied shyly before moving to sit down again, exchanging a smile with his best friends. 

"I'm just surprised that he didn't choose a photo of him playing golf," Jorge joked, and everyone laughed, even Mrs Kelly. 

"I actually nearly did!" Joachim responded with a gigggle. "But I thought there was a lot more to say about this photo." 

"Fair enough." 

Craig was the next person who was chosen to step forward, comforted by a soft squeeze of the hand by Jonathan, who was sitting beside him. His photo was one of him and Jonathan together, when they had gone to see a production of Annie at the theatre last summer, about a month and a half after they made their relationship official. There had been so many photos he had considered choosing, but this one was one of his favourites - and it featured one of his favourite people to exist. 

In this photo, which was taken last summer, I am with my boyfriend Jonathan on a date at the theatre. I am on the left and Jonathan is on the right. It was about a month after we confessed our feelings. In the photo, we are about to watch a production of Annie, which is one of my favourite musicals of all time. One of my favourite things to do in my spare time is go to the theatre. We are both wearing short sleeved shirts in the photo, because it was really hot in England that day. You can see quite a few people behind us, but Jonathan and I did not attend with anyone else. We are sitting a few rows back from the stage, but although you can not see it, we had quite a good view of the stage. We are both holding up our programmes in the photo, which we bought before going into the theatre. I chose to talk about this photo because it's a photo of my boyfriend and I that I love. 

Craig made a couple of errors in his questions section, but nothing too major, and Mrs Kelly was very pleased with him and said that he had improved from his mock exam. As he was going to sit down again, there was suddenly a loud cheering and clapping from the next room, where Mr Frieling was taking his class. And from what everyone could hear, Mr Frieling was joining in the racket. They sounded absolutely overjoyed, and Craig was confused - his presentation hadn't been that good, surely? And how did they even-? 

The noise died down soon enough, and as it neared the end of the lesson, it became apparent that not everybody was going to get the chance to present their photo that day. Motsi kept her fingers crossed that she wouldn't have to present that day, and right up till the end it looked as though she wouldn't have to. 

"Okay, we have time for one more student," Mrs Kelly announced, as Giovanni sat down, having just presented his photo. 

Her eyes rested on Motsi. 

"Motsi, how about you?" 

Motsi stiffened. She had really been hoping that she was going to get away with it for today, that she would have some more time to practice. 

"Go on, chica!" Jorge nudged her and gave her an encouraging smile. "You can do this!" 

"Yeah, you were amazing on Saturday," Joachim chimed in, as Motsi got up rather reluctantly and made her way to the front. "Mrs Kelly, Motsi and I practiced together on Saturday, and Motsi did so well!" 

"It's good to see that you're helping one another," the teacher smiled, as she got ready to start the timer. "Okay, Motsi, are you ready..?" 

Motsi swallowed, nodding, and looked over at Joachim and Jorge, who both gave her encouraging smiles. 

The timer began, and the south African beauty began to talk. And much to her surprise she remembered the entire presentation. She sounded a little shy and hesitant in places and she made a couple of tiny mistakes in the spontaneous conversation, but she got through it much better than she had in her exam just before the Christmas holidays. And after she answered the second question, which was mercifully similar to one of the questions that she had practiced with Joachim on Saturday, the whole class started cheering and clapping, even Darcey and Shirley, though they looked absolutely furious to see Motsi succeed when both of them had let themselves down slightly. 

And cheering and applauding loudest of all were of course Joachim and Jorge. The pride that Jorge felt in his best friend was immense - he wanted to jump out of his seat, run across to her and give her the biggest hug, but he knew that maybe that was a bad idea in a classroom setting. 

"Motsi, that was a massive improvement on your mock exam! Well, well done," Mrs Kelly praised the young girl with a huge smile on her face. She, like Joachim and Jorge, knew that it was not a lack of ability that caused her to not do so well in her Spanish mock, but a lack of confidence in herself and that ability. "And it was lovely to see you have a little more confidence in yourself too! This just goes to show, guys," she addressed the class at large, "that hard work really does pay off." 

"Thank you," Motsi blushed shyly, proud tears shining in her eyes, as she made her way back to her seat. 

"There were still a couple of grammatical mistakes - but overall that was really, really well done. Right, everyone, that's it for this lesson - Jonathan, Graziano, Bruno, Luba and Lisa, we will have your presentations tomorrow, so be prepared, please. Well done everyone - I'm very impressed with all of you. Oh, Mr Frieling!" Mrs Kelly cried, as the other Spanish teacher came into the room. "What on earth was going on in your class around twenty minutes ago..? I never knew that learning Spanish verbs warranted that racket!" 

"You are not going to believe this, Maite," Mr Frieling said with a huge grin on his face. "Thomas actually remembered his homework!" 

Thomas was the kind of student that frustrated Mr Frieling most - he was very much a capable student who was actually very good at Spanish. But he had one major problem with the young student from Germany, and that was that he just didn't want to be in school. He didn't seem to care about school work, was constantly demotivated, and all he wanted to do was leave school and become a singer. Mr Frieling wasn't the kind of person that stamped all over people's dreams or laughed at them - he originally wanted to become a dancer when he was very young and he remembered well how his teachers had scoffed, how his parents also had been convinced that he would never achieve that goal. He hadn't become that professional dancer he wanted to become, instead deciding that teaching was the job for him - but he remembered how it felt to be laughed at for having a dream and he would never scoff at a student he taught for dreaming big. However, he did think that students who wanted to go into performing arts industry - or any industry similar for that matter - should still focus on getting their qualifications first so that if everything failed, they would have something to fall back on. Thomas just wasn't interested in that, and had tried to drop out of school a few months back, claiming that he would be fine. Mr Frieling wouldn't have minded so much if Thomas truly tried his best but still didn't achieve high grades - school just wasn't for everyone and he understood that. But Thomas was capable, and it frustrated and upset the Spanish teacher very much to see someone who did have potential throwing his life away, essentially. He just hoped that, like Ashley (who had really started working and had already shown a massive improvement in attitude and standard of work - his mock results had really ignited something inside him), Thomas would begin working and would realise that he had potential before it was too late. 

Because the worst feeling as a teacher was seeing someone who should be getting 8s and 9s at GCSE get 2s and 3s all because they couldn't be bothered to work hard. 

As soon as Mrs Kelly left the room, continuing to talk about students with Mr Frieling, Jorge threw his arms around his best friend. 

"Motshegetsi Mabuse, I never in my life want to hear you can't speak Spanish again," he told her, as he hugged her tightly, Joachim coming over and joining in the hug. "That was absolutely fantastic, and I'm so proud of you!" 

"Oh for God's sake, she wasn't-" 

Joachim stopped Shirley mid-sentence, knowing that if she ended it, Motsi's newfound confidence in herself was going to be ruined. 

"Don't even think about finishing that sentence. Leave us alone - I think it says a lot about you both that you have to come and hate on a beautiful girl like Motsi just to make yourselves feel better about yourselves." 

And with that, he took hold of Motsi's hand and led her out of the way of the two girls, who glowered after them. 

"They're just jealous," he told the south African beauty, as they made their way to their final class of the day - drama, which was a fairly easy subject to finish off the day with. "Seriously, Motsi, that was fantastic. I'm so proud of you - Jorge and I both are." 

"I'm actually proud of myself for that," Motsi smiled. 

"You should be, chica! All you needed was some confidence in yourself," Jorge replied wisely, opening the door to the classroom devoted to drama lessons and switching on the light. "Yes, you made a couple of mistakes, but they don't matter." 

"Exactly! I still make mistakes talking sometimes," Joachim added, as he and Jorge sat down together, Motsi taking a seat in front of them. "You were honestly brilliant." 

"And so were you! You both did fantastically too, you should be so proud of yourselves! I couldn't have done it without your support." 

The drama teacher, Miss Phillips, came in at that moment, and once everyone was seated and quiet, she began the lesson with an announcement she felt would excite everyone very much. 

"Okay, class, after the absolute disaster that was last year's trip to see The Canterville Ghost, with certain members of staff not following directions-" Jorge let out a giggle at Joachim's facial expression, very quickly disguising it as a cough as the teacher looked at him with annoyance, "we have finally found another theatre show to take you to." 

"Where are we going, Miss?" someone asked from the back row. 

"Are any of you familiar with the theatre show My Fair Lady?" Miss Phillips asked, and Joachim hissed to Jorge, "Jason is going to be so jealous!" 

It transpired that three quarters of the class had heard of the show, but only around half had actually seen it. Miss Phillips therefore asked Craig to explain the plot of the musical and talk a little bit about the characters, and he did so concisely and clearly, whilst everyone else wrote down what he was saying. 

"When are we going to be going to see the show, Miss Phillips?" Joachim raised his hand in the air. 

"We'll be going on Saturday. A letter will be going out today - all of year eleven are invited, but it's only compulsory for the drama students to attend." 

Craig smiled to himself. That meant Jason would be able to come, too. He knew how much his friend loved the musical, and he knew that he would have been gutted to have missed out on a trip to see it just because he didn't study drama. 

Jonathan and Joachim, however, didn't look best pleased as they realised that meant that Jason would be coming along. There was no way the Australian was going to pass up the opportunity to go and see one of his three favourite musicals in theatre. 

"Please remember, you guys taking the drama exam this year, you must pay attention to all the different details," Miss Phillips addressed everyone. "Costumes, lighting, props, characterisation.. it all needs to be included in your final essay. Now, we are going to continue preparing our monologues." 

The rest of the lesson was spent preparing the monologues they would have to perform as part of their exam. It was a relaxed, enjoyable lesson - drama had a lot of work involved, but it was always fun to do the work. 

It seemed no time at all before the bell rang, signalling the end of the lesson. Craig ran out the room almost immediately as it sounded, wanting to catch up with Jason to ask him something about their revision session that night, leaving Jonathan looking after him with rather a hurt expression on his face. 

"I feel really sorry for him," Jorge said in a low voice, swinging his bag onto his back. "Ever since Craig started hanging out with Jason - they've been spending less and less time together." 

Jorge didn't like Craig's friendship with Jason at all. Not only because it hurt Joachim, having to see his friend hanging around with someone he had bad history with and who was really cruel at times to him - but because it was obvious that it was hurting Jonathan. Craig just seemed to have no time for Jonathan any more, especially at school and it really was sad to see how they seemed to be distancing. 

"Me too. I hope Craig realises soon what it's doing to Jonathan. And I hope he realises before.. before it's too late." 

"Same here. Come on, I'll walk you both home," Joachim changed the subject quickly. 

"Joachim, we walk each other home practically every night - but thank you," laughed Jorge, as they left the classroom, almost bumping into Mr Frieling almost as soon as they walked out the door. 

"Motsi!" the teacher began, with a smile. "Mrs Kelly told me about your presentation today and how good it was. Well done to you!" 

"Thank you," Motsi blushed at the praise, looking down at the ground. 

"She was fantastic, Mr Frieling," Jorge agreed. 

"In fact, she told me how good all three of yours were. She was very impressed! Well done to all of you." 

"Thank you!" Jorge beamed, and even Joachim smiled and managed a thank you. 

"I sure do miss teaching you three. You were always a pleasure to teach and it's great to see that you've been keeping up your hard work for Mai- Mrs Kelly. Continue on that way and you guys will succeed!" 

"Thank you, Mr Frieling!" Joachim said pleasantly, waving after the Spanish teacher as he disappeared into one of the other classrooms for something or other. 

"I sure don't miss having you as a teacher and throwing me in detention for literally no good reason," he added, but only when he was sure that Mr Frieling couldn't hear him. 

"You're never going to forgive him for that, are you?" Jorge raised his eyebrows, as they left the building together, smiling to see that since lunch it had stopped raining. 

"No. I am not." 

"I didn't think you were," Jorge laughed.

Grinning at both of them, he linked arms with them both. 

"Ahora, vamos, mis amigos talentosos y increíbles. Vamos a casa."


	28. dancing the foxtrot

It had been almost two years since Joachim took a dance class, and he would be lying if he said that he wasn't nervous. 

Veronica drove both Motsi and Joachim to the dance school on Saturday morning in her car. She had to admit, she was very surprised that Joachim had asked to go back to dancing again - but at the same time, she was unbelievably proud of him. She knew just how embarrassed he had been after the incident at the festival, remembered how he had sobbed all the way home that night because he was that ashamed of himself - and she knew how much it must have taken him to come to the decision to go back. 

Motsi could sense that her best friend was very nervous about going back. He was staring out the window, trying to look calm, but the look in his eyes said it all. 

"You're going to be fine," she reassured him, smiling at him comfortingly. "Everyone in the class is really nice, I promise. Nobody ever makes fun of anyone and they're all incredibly supportive of one another. And they're really inclusive whenever a new person joins the group." 

"Really?" 

"I wouldn't tell you that if it wasn't true. Just like you wouldn't tell me I was good at speaking Spanish if it wasn't true," Motsi replied, repeating Joachim's words of last weekend. "You'll be fine, I promise." 

The German-Spaniard gave a small smile. "I hope so. Hey, Mum..?" 

"Yes, my darling?" Veronica looked in the rear view mirror. 

"As it will be late when we leave the theatre tonight, can Motsi and Jorge stay over at our place tonight?" 

"Of course they can," Veronica smiled, more than happy to let Joachim's friends stay over. "As long as it's okay with their parents, then that's absolutely fine." 

"Motsi's mum has already said it would be okay. I'll message Jorge now. Thanks, Mum!" 

"You're more than welcome, darling. You know that Motsi and Jorge are more than welcome to stay over whenever they like." 

Beaming, forgetting about his nerves about going dancing temporarily, Joachim quickly typed out a message to Jorge. 

Joachim 🏌️♂️: Jorge, seeing as it will be late when we finish at the theatre, I was wondering if you would like to stay at mine overnight? Motsi's staying over too. Mum has already said you can if your parents say yes. 

A few moments later, his phone beeped with a reply. 

Jorge 👠: I'd love to! Thanks for the invite! My parents say thank you too - I think my dad is relieved he doesn't have to drive to pick me up after lol 😂 Just message me when you're on your way tonight, and I'll be ready with my stuff. Give me something to look forward to whilst doing maths with Sebastian 🤮

Jorge 👠: okay that's unfair. Sebastian is a lovely person and very patient. But he teaches my least favourite subject.... 😂😂

Joachim 🏌️♂️: looking forward to it! Enjoy your maths with Sebastian 😂 

Jorge 👠: Joachim, I'm literally so jealous of you!!! 

Joachim 🏌️♂️: keep working hard, amigo, and then maybe you'll be able to join us in a couple of months. If I stay, that is. 

Jorge 👠: I think you'll love it!! Have a great trial day today 😊I'm so proud of you for going back!! 

Joachim 🏌️♂️: thanks. I'll let you know how it goes :) 

"Jorge said he would love to come and that he'll be ready for when we collect him," Joachim told his mum, as they pulled up outside a large building that could only be the dance studio. All at once, his nerves about dancing again came flooding back. 

"If there are any problems, then just call," Veronica said, turning round in her seat to talk to her son and his friend. "Have an amazing time, and Joachim..?" 

"Yes, Mum?" 

"I'm so proud of you for doing this." 

"Thank you, Mum," Joachim smiled, and blew her a kiss as he got out the car with Motsi, making sure that he grabbed his bag, containing a small snack, water, clothes to change into so that he wouldn't be in sweaty clothes at lunch, and his dance shoes. "I love you." 

"I love you too, darling. Bye, you two!" 

"Bye!" Motsi and Joachim called, as Veronica drove away, with the intention of going to get her hair and nails done whilst the two teenagers went dancing. 

"I'll show you to the Ballroom and Latin class," Motsi told her friend, slipping her arm in his as they walked towards the entrance. "And trust me, Joachim, you're going to have an amazing time. I know you're nervous but you really don't need to be." She chuckled. "Hey, maybe after we have all finished our exams, we should convince Jorge to come dancing with us on Saturdays! I think he would really enjoy the salsa classes." 

"That's a good idea," Joachim chuckled, though he wasn't sure if he would even be returning for a second class yet. 

"Because you don't know your way around the building very well yet, I'll come and wait outside the room for you," Motsi told Joachim, as they approached the classroom where the Ballroom and Latin classes were held. "Here we are," she said suddenly, stopping outside one of the doors, behind which Joachim could already hear a bunch of people talking. "Hey, you're going to be fine. I promise you, you'll love it." 

"Thank you, Motsi," Joachim smiled, giving his friend a quick hug before she made her way down the corridor and disappeared out of sight. 

He stood there for a few moments, inhaling and exhaling deeply, his hand on the handle, slightly afraid to open it. He remembered feeling the exact same when he came to his new school - it had been so intimidating and he probably would have taken a long time to actually enter the classroom had the head teacher not led him in and told him to introduce himself to everyone in what was then year ten. 

Joachim was just about to open the door, a thousand possibilities of what to say when he did so swirling around his brain, when it was opened for him by somebody inside - a tall, brunette girl with a plait. 

"Um.. hi." 

"Hi! Are you joining our class?" She asked in an extremely pleasant time of voice. 

"Yeah. I'm new today." 

"Well, come on in, don't just stand there like you have been doing for the past five minutes!" the girl joked, stepping aside to let Joachim enter the room. "We aren't going to bite you, you know." 

"How did you..?" 

The girl chuckled, gesturing at the door. "The door is translucent. Of course I could see you." 

Joachim flushed, feeling as though he had already made a bad impression. "I'm sorry." 

He flushed even more red not even a minute later as he walked through the door, feeling all eyes rest on him, and his hands began to twist together as they always did when he was feeling shy or nervous. 

Taking a look around at everyone, he felt slightly less nervous, for it all seemed so relaxed and natural. Stretching, or simply sitting around chatting and waiting for their dance teacher to arrive, were around 15 or 20 others - some tall, some shorter; some blonde, some brunette, some redhead. It was immediately apparent that everyone was close with everyone, and that, as Motsi had told him, they really were a inclusive bunch. Nobody was sitting alone or left out of the conversation, from what he could see, and he just hoped that he would not be an exception to that rule. There were more girls than boys, but there were a lot more boys present than Joachim had expected there to be - at his previous dance class, he was one of only four boys at one point. 

"What's your name?" 

"Joachim. Joachim Llambi," Joachim replied shyly, just as the door opened again and in walked the tall, dark-haired man that could only be their dance teacher. "It's nice to meet you." 

"Lovely to meet you too, Joachim," the girl who had asked the question, tall with pink streaks through her long blonde hair, smiled at him. 

"Good morning, everyone! Before we start, I've heard today that someone new is - wait! Are you Joachim Llambi?" 

"Uh-huh," Joachim nodded. "Yes. That's me." 

"Welcome to our classes, Joachim! You'll soon get to know everyone. Have you ever danced Ballroom or Latin before?" 

Joachim was acutely aware of the fact that everyone was currently listening to him with great interest. "Yeah, I did both for almost two years. Between the ages of 12 and 14. I'm sixteen now." 

"I'm very much looking forward to working with you, Joachim." 

Joachim couldn't help but smile, replying with a brief thanks before looking down at the floor, twisting his hands together once more. 

"Right, everyone.. positions!" 

.. 

To his surprise, Joachim actually found himself loving being back at dance. It stunned him just how much he actually remembered from two years ago, how many of the moves came naturally to him. They were currently learning the waltz and the foxtrot, considered to be two of the easiest Ballroom dances - they would start on Latin on Monday - and as he followed the instructions of their teacher, memories of how much he had loved dancing the foxtrot before he dropped out came flooding back to Joachim.   
His other favourite dance had always been the pasodoble - it wasn't one that he had actually learned yet but it was one that he adored watching and couldn't wait to get taught at some point. 

When they stopped for a 10-15 minute break, Joachim was immediately surrounded by a mixed group of students, who all seemed to really want to get to know him. He was very much surprised by this attention, but pleasantly so, and he answered all their questions, albeit a little shyly. 

"What do you enjoy doing?" one of the girls, whose name Joachim had already learned was Leanna, asked. 

"I.. I enjoy playing golf," Joachim replied a little tentatively, "I spend many weekends at the golf course actually." 

"Oh, really? Sofia over there really enjoys golf, funnily enough." 

Joachim smiled across at the black-haired, slim girl that Leanna had just pointed out to him, and she called over, "maybe we should challenge each other to a game sometime." 

The German-Spaniard chuckled. "Maybe we should." 

"Okay, you like golf. What else do you like..?" 

"I also love musicals-" 

"Doesn't everyone? Which one's your personal favourite?" 

"Joseph and the Amazing Technicoloured Dreamcoat," responded Joachim immediately, beginning to feel much less shy. Motsi had been right - everyone in the group seemed really inclusive and supportive of everyone else. 

"I love that one as well! Anything else?" 

"And.. well, I also enjoy reading, and dancing. Dancing, of course." Joachim inwardly cringed at how awkward that last sentence sounded when it came out of his mouth. 

"And you're a really good dancer!" 

"Thank you," Joachim blushed slightly as he always did when somebody complimented him. "You're all fantastic too." 

"So, you have experience of dancing. What's your favourite dance..?" 

"Guys, you do realise we are literally bombarding this poor guy with questions..?" said a Russian accent from just across the room. 

Joachim smiled across at the girl named Sofia, who had spoken. Admittedly, it was a little intimidating having everyone so interested in him, but he would have much rather that than be ignored by everyone or worse, mocked. "It's okay! I really love the foxtrot, for ballroom. And pasodoble for Latin, though I've not learned it yet." 

"Pasodoble is one of the last ones we learn, I don't think we are learning that one until the summer," a girl named Mollie explained. "I'm interested that you like dancing the foxtrot though.. that's one of my least favourite." 

"I don't know why I like it.. I just like it," Joachim said in a rather awkward tone, not really knowing what to respond. 

"Right, everyone!" The instructor came back in, saving Joachim from answering any more questions from the other students. "Right, I want you all to pair up again." 

Previously, Joachim had been dancing with Anna, a Swedish girl with blonde hair tied up in a ponytail. But this time, Sofia approached him, rather shyly, once they were left to the last two, and said, "I guess we are partners." 

"Yes," Joachim nodded, as they headed out onto the floor, ready to resume dancing. "That is.. you don't mind dancing with me, do you..?" 

"Of course I don't mind. Why would I mind?" Sofia asked with a confused expression. "You're a good dancer." 

"Thank you," Joachim blushed for about the fourth time that morning, as they moved their bodies into the starting positions for the foxtrot. "You're great yourself." 

Sofia smiled and thanked him as the music began, a beautiful slow song that Joachim had never heard before today but was already loving. In their positions, all the couples began to dance together, seeing how much of the foxtrot they could remember without their teacher prompting them. 

And as they moved around the floor, focusing on getting the steps right but also on letting go of everything, Joachim felt extremely glad that he had taken Motsi's advice. 

.. 

Motsi, as usual, had so much fun at dance. Dancing really did provide some sort of escapism for her and when she danced, she felt free - as though she could forget about everything that was going on in real life. The thought of one day dancing on a famous stage somewhere in the world, becoming a professional performer, was one that brought her so much happiness. She had wanted to perform ever since she was really young, but had only really started talking about it in the last couple of years. 

In fact, it had been Jorge that had helped her start to seriously consider it. She had been a bit worried to ever say what she wanted to be at her old school, in case people laughed at her and put her down. Her worries grew even more when Jorge started to stand out more from the crowds with his unique style, and started to talk about the possibility of a career in he fashion industry. It was safe to say that several people looked down on him for that, and they consistently made fun of him and made nasty comments. But when they moved to England, and Jorge began to be much more confident with who he was and expressing himself the way he wanted to and not the way that society wanted him to, she began to be more open about her aspirations. 

"Who cares what they think, Motsi, my chica? Be who you want to be and work towards what is going to make you happy! Be confident in yourself!" 

Those words had stuck with Motsi. She still wasn't completely confident about her dancing - she did wonder if she would ever be good enough to perform on stage, and had already vowed that she would continue on in her education and get her a levels so that even if she failed at holding down a career in dancing, she would have something to fall back on. She also often found herself comparing herself to some of the others in terms of talent from time to time, but she was much more confident about the talent that she possessed. As he had grown in confidence, Jorge had helped her grow in confidence in many ways, and she was forever grateful to her Cuban friend for that. 

Today had been a wonderful practice session, and Motsi's teacher had been especially impressed with her progress with her routine to My Immortal. She and Evgenij, a boy from her class at school who happened to be at the same dance school as her, had really been practicing this most beautiful routine and were very proud of it. It was the most intricate and beautiful routine that Motsi had been given in all her time dancing, and her favourite one, so she really badly wanted to do well. She wanted to dance it perfectly when they danced it at the festival in April, just before their real exams started, and impress her mum, her sisters, her friends... and Evgenij. 

She had only admitted it to two people, those being Joachim and Jorge, but Motsi had a small crush on Evgenij. She had realised it not too long after they first started dancing together, and had only admitted it because Jorge was very persuasive. She had been over at Joachim's one night, Jorge as well, and they had been playing truth or dare. Jorge asked Motsi whether she had a crush on anybody in their school, and Motsi attempted to deny it, but she was never a talented liar. 

"I know there's somebody you like, chica! No offence, but you are one of the worst liars I know," Jorge laughed, throwing popcorn into the air and skilfully catching it in his mouth. "Come on.. who is it? I'm dying to know." 

"Maybe she would rather keep it.." 

"We're her best friends! She has to tell us - isn't that one of the rules of friendship?" 

"Okay, fine! I'll tell you," Motsi laughed, giving up, knowing that Jorge would get it out of her sooner or later. Her Cuban friend was the most persuasive person she had ever met. 

"Go on then!" Jorge leaned in closer, a look of immense curiosity on his face at who his childhood best friend's first crush was. 

"Okay. It's Evgenij." 

She wanted to admit it to him, but not at the moment. She was too shy to tell him how she felt and besides, she had no idea if the Ukrainian boy was even interested in her. He didn't talk much to her, when they weren't dancing - he sat with the other boys, some of which also were at their school. 

Saying goodbye to all the others after they were dismissed, Motsi immediately headed down the corridor to the Ballroom and Latin room, where Joachim was just coming out. Her face broke into a smile when she saw her German-Spanish friend exiting the room, talking to a couple of the other students, a huge smile on his face. 

"You enjoyed yourself, then?" she grinned, as he practically bounded over to her. 

"I can't thank you enough for persuading me to go back," Joachim told her sincerely.

"You don't need to thank me. I'm so proud of you for going back! And see, I told you everyone was really nice!" 

Joachim hitched his bag further onto his back. "You were right. They actually seemed to like me. Even though some of them can't quite understand exactly why I enjoy dancing the foxtrot." 

"Was that what you were learning?" Motsi questioned, waving over at Veronica, who was circling around, trying to find somewhere to park. 

"Yeah.. and the waltz," Joachim nodded. 

"I must admit, I find foxtrots a little underwhelming, but we all have different tastes. Anyway.. seriously, I'm so glad that you had a good time! Will you be going back..?" 

Joachim nodded. "I'd love to." 

"Yay!" Motsi gave a little leap into the air. "I'm actually so proud of you, Joachim." 

"And I'm so grateful that I have a friend like you. If it weren't for you I probably never would have returned to dance," Joachim admitted, with a warm smile. "Now come on, let's go and get in my mum's car and go home for some lunch and a freshen up before the theatre tonight. I can't wait to tell her that I actually really enjoyed myself!" 

Veronica had been quite fearful that her son would come out of the building crying, upset, and never wanting to return - but those fears dissipated as soon as she saw the smile on his face. 

"Hi, you two!" she beamed, getting out the car to greet them both. "So, how was it..?" 

"I actually really enjoyed myself!" Joachim confirmed, grinning widely. "Motsi was right.. everyone is so lovely. People actually talked to me! And I loved dancing again.. I'd definitely like to go back permanently.. as long as you don't mind." 

Just like when Joachim revealed that he wanted to give dancing a try again, Veronica found herself welling up with tears. This was a regular occurrence - sometimes the Spaniard would watch her only son hanging out with his friends, or hear him laughing at something that Jorge sent him, and she would find the tears welling up in her eyes. 

All she had ever wanted for him was to be happy and she felt as though now they had moved away from where they used to live, he finally was. 

"I'm so glad to hear that you had such a wonderful time, darling," she told Joachim, giving him a quick hug before they got into the car. "And of course I don't mind you going back permanently! I'm so proud of you for making that decision." 

"And I'm so proud of you too, Joachim! You should message Jorge - I bet he's dying to know how you got on!" Motsi gestured to Joachim's phone. 

Still smiling, the German-Spaniard took out his phone from his pocket and began to text his Cuban friend, who would more than likely be out of dance classes by now. 

Joachim 🏌️♂️: 

Joachim 🏌️♂️: current mood. 

Jorge 👠: you enjoyed yourself then, I take it?! 😁

Joachim 🏌️♂️: Jorgito, seriously, I had the best time! Everyone was so lovely to me, we danced my favourite dance (the foxtrot - although some people can't understand why I like that dance so much) and I just had so much fun dancing so I've decided to go back on a permanent basis. 

Jorge 👠: yeah.. the foxtrot to me is boring 😂 I much prefer the salsa and samba - the party dances!!! 

Jorge 👠: but I'm SO SO GLAD you had a great time!! And so happy for you!! I knew you would enjoy yourself 😁 you need to tell me all about it when we see each other later!! 

Joachim 🏌️♂️: of course I will! We'll be along to pick you up around 6.. wait, let me confirm that 

Joachim 🏌️♂️: yes, Mum confirms we will be outside your house at 6pm, be ready! 

Joachim 🏌️♂️: and please, Jorge, try not to bring your entire house with you. 

Jorge 👠: what?! What are you talking about, Joachim no middle name Llambi? I never bring my whole house with me! I always travel light.. 

Joachim 🏌️♂️: I think you're getting yourself mixed up with a certain German-Spanish friend of yours that never brings much stuff at all. 

Joachim 🏌️♂️: but anyway, we will be outside your house at 6PM, ready to go to the theatre. Bring clothes (but please not your entire wardrobe), shoes (but not your entire shoe collection), toiletries, your stuffed Paco (because I know you struggle to sleep without him), your phone, your charger, your motivation, and your memory (to remember all the different things about the show). 

Jorge 👠: yes, teacher 😂

Jorge 👠: I'll be ready!!! Can't wait. ❤❤❤

.. 

"What's the bet Jorge is going to be standing outside of his house with a massive bag filled with a whole bunch of stuff that he doesn't actually need..?" Joachim asked Motsi as they began to drive the short distance to Jorge's home to collect him. After dance, they had had a rather quiet afternoon. When they got home to Joachim's house, Veronica had immediately made Joachim and Motsi some lunch - a chicken and tomato sandwich each with some crisps on the side. They ate it in the warm conversatory with Veronica, and they told her all about dancing, whilst the mother listened to them with a huge smile on her face, so happy to hear that they had both had an amazing time. The rest of the afternoon was then spent having showers and getting ready for the theatre, and now they were finally on their way. 

"Of course he will be," Motsi laughed, smoothing down her leopard-print sweatshirt. "If you think that he brings a lot for one night, you don't even want to know how much he would bring for a week. Once, when we were about ten years old, Silvana and Alejandro had to go back to Cuba for an urgent reason, so my mum said that he could stay with us for a week because it was during term time and she didn't want him to have to miss school. Anyway, he turned up with a suitcase almost bigger than him - I have no idea how he even zipped the thing up - and a backpack.. and a..." 

Joachim burst out laughing. "I can see this. You know... sometimes I really wish I'd known you both when you were younger. Like.. I wish we had all gone through primary together." 

"I wish we had too," Motsi replied, with a smile. "I would have loved to see for myself what Joachim Llambi was really like when he was around the age my sisters are now." 

"You could hardly get a word out of him, he loved reading books and writing stories about large families, he adored swimming and in the summer he spent most of his time in the pool, he used to make me check under his-" 

Joachim flushed red. "Mum, stop." 

"Bed every night for monsters-" the Spanish woman continued, "he loved colouring in, he would never eat the crusts on sandwiches, and at birthday parties, he used to sit in the corner colouring the entire time and refused to talk to anyone." 

"At my sixth birthday party," Joachim recalled, still red in the face, "Mum invited the entire class, though I wasn't actually friends with any of them. I spent the entire time sitting in the corner of the bouncy castle with my colouring book, and was really upset when one of them bounced near me and I coloured outside the lines." 

"Why can I see this?" Motsi laughed loudly. "I was quite shy myself - even more so before Jorge made me his friend. And let me tell you, Joachim, Veronica.. Jorge hasn't changed. He was extremely loud. He often used to get into trouble at school for being too wild, and because he often used to forget things. And he was always on the go, always running around.. he was actually nicknamed Speedy Gonzalez." 

"Of course he was." Joachim rolled his eyes as they pulled up outside the Gonzalez house. Jorge was already standing there, bulky bag on his back, dressed in the leopard print trousers that Joachim had borrowed from him that day on the school trip and a black button-up shirt with sequins on the front. 

"And once again, Jorge Alexis Gonzalez Madrigal Varona Vila brings an ungodly amount of stuff to our sleepover," the German-Spaniard announced as the Cuban said goodbye to his parents and got into the car, Veronica getting out briefly to go and talk to Silvana. 

"You would really make a good TV presenter, the way you just announced that," Jorge laughed, settling down beside Motsi, who was in the middle due to being the smallest of the trio. "And about my bag.. I had to. You know I had to. Anyway.. how are we..? I had the most boring morning imaginable with Sebastian, but on the positive side, I now know how to expand brackets in algebra." 

"I'm proud of you, Jorge. And it's been great! I had a wonderful time dancing today." 

"Thank you, chica! Yeah, I'm sure you did," Jorge winked, and Motsi elbowed him playfully, knowing what he was referring to. 

He turned to Joachim. "Okay, spill the beans, Joachim. I want to know every last detail about your return to dance!" 

"Okay," Joachim chuckled, as his mum got back into the car. "Well, at the start I sort of embarrassed myself when-" 

For the rest of the journey to the theatre, the German-Spaniard told the story of what had happened at dance that day. And though it was mostly for Jorge's benefit, Motsi and Veronica sat there listening as well. 

To Motsi, Joachim was her best friend. To Veronica, Joachim was her only son, and without a shadow of a doubt her proudest achievement. 

And hearing the utter joy in his voice as he spoke about something he loved was something that made them unbelievably happy.


	29. enough is enough

From the second that Jonathan arrived at the theatre that night to watch My Fair Lady, he knew that tonight was not going to go the way he had hoped it would. 

He had planned to ask Craig to stay over on Friday night, drive him to the theatre to meet with the rest of their classmates on Saturday, and then have him stay over again on Saturday night. Then they could have a lazy Sunday morning together with a bacon sandwich and a mug of tea before taking him home on Sunday afternoon. 

"Would it be all right if I only came over on Saturday night, Jonno? I'm revising with Jason on Friday night and Saturday morning," was Craig's response when Jonathan asked him on Tuesday morning before school. 

It wasn't okay at all with Jonathan. Ever since they spent Christmas together, the amount of time that Jason and Craig were spending together was steadily increasing. Jonathan was now lucky if he got to talk to Craig at all during the school day, and out of school he was seeing him less and less as well. He was always revising with Jason, and whilst Jonathan was really pleased that Craig was working so hard and was well aware that school needed to come first ( and it always would with Jonathan), he couldn't help but feel hurt that almost every time he asked Craig to do something with him, the Australian was already doing something with Jason. 

Just the other day in chemistry class, they had had to do a practical. Jonathan and Craig had always been each other's partners for science practicals, even before they started dating one another. So when Craig partnered up with Jason, making a beeline for him, Jonathan couldn't help but feel extremely angry and hurt. 

"You don't mind, do you, Jonno?" Craig had asked. "Hey, why don't you be in a three with us? The three of us can work together." 

"No, thank you. I'll work with somebody else," Jonathan uncharacteristically snapped, before storming off to find somebody else to work with, leaving a very puzzled Craig looking after him, wondering if he was okay. 

Because Jonathan never snapped. Jonathan was never the type to get angry easily - it took something really, really significant for him to snap like that. Craig could only ever really think of one time that he had snapped in the whole of the time that they had known one another.. so there must be something wrong. 

Craig had gone to find his boyfriend at lunch (Jonathan had not waited for him, which had made him even more worried - Jonathan always waited). When he found him in the library, working hard on an essay, he had asked him what had brought on his little outburst. Jonathan had claimed that he was tired, that he had had a rough night's sleep, but Craig didn't know how far he really believed that. Jonno wasn't one to snap at little things like that. 

Jonathan just wanted things to go back to normal. Or at least, for Craig to remain friends with Jason, but divide his time between the two of them equally. 

Because they were in a relationship, him and Craig.. but at the moment, sometimes it sure didn't feel like it. In fact, it often felt like Jason and Craig were the ones in the relationship. They were constantly together, almost all the photos on Craig's social media were of him and Jason doing things together, they were quite touchy-feely with one another at times.. it just.. it almost felt as though Craig was cheating. That was a harsh accusation, but that was how it felt to Jonathan sometimes. 

Jason and Craig currently were standing together in a small huddle outside of the theatre, waiting for the other students to arrive, laughing and joking. As Jonathan approached them, they didn't even appear to realise that he was there, continuing to animatedly chat among themselves. 

"Hey," Jonathan began. 

Craig and Jason didn't hear him, lost in their conversation. 

"Hey," Jonathan said, a little louder this time. 

Craig and Jason still didn't hear him. 

"Hello!" Jonathan said in as loud a voice he could without shouting, and both Craig and Jason jumped immediately and turned around. 

"Oh, hi, Jonno!" 

"Oh, Jonathan, I am so sorry.. we didn't hear you!" 

"Yeah, I think I could have worked that one out for myself," muttered Jonathan under his breath, glaring at Jason. 

"Wow, someone got out the wrong side of the bed this morning!" Jason laughed, the laugh reminding Motsi, who was standing not too far away, of the laugh that he had let out when Joachim fell into the water on their geography field trip. "Come on, Craig, let's go and get in line. I think everyone is here now." 

And with that, he pulled Craig away from Jonathan, who glanced after them with a half angry, half heartbroken expression on his face. 

The night had started off badly, and things got even worse when they actually got into the theatre and took their seats. Joachim, Jorge and Motsi of course sat together, Jorge in the middle with his two best friends either side of him. Ashley went off to sit with a couple of boys in their class that he had made friends with. Jonathan hoped that maybe he would be able to get a seat next to Craig, but Craig sat with Jason in the middle of one of the rows, one of the girls from their class on the other side of him. 

"Oh, sorry, Jonno! Why don't you get that seat there? That way we are kinda close to one another," Craig pointed out a seat five seats down from him, right on the end, next to Ashley. 

"Sure," Jonathan muttered, trying not to let the hurt show on his face. 

"Oh, come on! No need to be grumpy! It's only a couple of hours where you're not sitting together, it's not gonna kill you," Jason rolled his eyes. 

Hurt by Craig's sudden apparent coolness towards him and refusal to stand up for him, Jonathan sat down in the seat next to Ashley. Admittedly, Ashley wasn't the worst person he could have been sitting next to - he didn't exactly talk to him much, and they certainly weren't friends, but he wasn't as bad as Jason. 

Jonathan just couldn't understand why Craig wanted to be best friends with somebody who was so nasty to certain people, particularly Joachim. Though he wasn't as close with Joachim as Motsi and Jorge were, he still considered the German-Spaniard a friend and was very upset indeed to hear about the way that Jason had treated him. Even if Joachim had done something in the past that had hurt Jason, he thought it was absolutely wrong that Jason was so cruel towards him.

The show itself was actually brilliant, and if Jonathan hadn't already been hurt and annoyed by his boyfriend's behaviour that evening, he would have loved every second of it. They all paid attention to the different aspects, like the costumes and the props - all except the students that didn't take drama, like Jason. Jason himself was entranced, enjoying every single second of one of his three favourite musicals, only taking his eyes off the stage to laugh at the funny bits with Craig. 

And every time that he heard the two of them laugh, loud above anyone else in the theatre that night, Jonathan's heart broke a little more because he honestly felt so distant from Craig at this moment in time. 

The first half of the three-hour show ended with Eliza and Zoltan Karpathy dancing at the Embassy Ball together, and a half-hour long interval was announced, giving all the members of the audience time to go and use the bathroom and get ready for the second half. Joachim, Jorge and Motsi immediately made their way down the carpeted steps together, planning on going to get some drinks and get some fresh air before the show began again. Jason also headed down the stairs, without Craig, which made Jonathan hope that maybe, just maybe, he might be able to get a few moments with his boyfriend before the Australian came back and took him away again. 

At that very moment, Craig appeared by his side, looking quite concerned. 

"Jonno.. Are you okay?" he asked him. "Because you've seemed really moody tonight." 

"I'm fine," replied Jonathan, though he was far from it, "just.. really tired, that's all." 

"Jonno.. you don't usually behave like this.. getting all angry and grumpy.. just because you're tired. Please.. tell me what's wrong. I might be able to help." 

"Promise you won't get annoyed with me?" 

Craig shook his head. "I won't be annoyed at you. No matter what it is." 

"Okay.. Craig, ever since you and Jason started hanging out properly, I've been feeling really left out. The time that you two have been spending together is increasing and I just feel like you don't spend as much time with me as you once did. I've got nothing against you two being friends.. but I really do miss how we used to spend so much time together and now you're dedicating all your time to.." 

Jonathan trailed off, realising that Craig wasn't looking at him, or even seemingly listening to him. Instead, he was watching Jason, as he headed back into the theatre, having been to the bathroom. The Australian was signalling at Craig to come on down, probably to get some fresh air or something, and Craig appeared so distracted by him, as always. 

"Craig.. were you even listening to me..?" 

"Jonno.. I was at first, but.. I'm.. I'm just going to go and see what Jason wants. I'll talk to you another time about this, okay?" Craig said, patting his boyfriend on the shoulder before heading down the stairs after Jason, leaving Jonathan all alone again. 

Eyes filling with tears, the Leicester-born made his way down the staircase himself, deciding to go and get a drink and use the bathroom before the second half began. This proved a poor decision, however. The first thing he saw when he got down to the place where refreshments were being sold was the sight of Joachim, Jorge and Motsi closely huddled together, taking selfies, laughing as they tried out all the different snapchat filters.The second thing he saw was the sight of Jason and Craig standing by the My Fair Lady poster, attempting to take a selfie with it in the background. 

"Oi, Jonathan! Come over here! We need an expert photographer," Jason called, laughing hysterically as he saw Craig's latest attempt at taking a photo of them both. "Please take a photo of us together." 

Jonathan took Jason's iPhone from him, which was opened on the camera app, and turned the camera around to face him, before leaning in close to both Jason and Craig. 

"Um.. I didn't mean for you to get in the photo. I meant, you take a photo of Craig and I." 

Jonathan flushed. "I'm sorry, I thought.." 

"Well, you thought wrong, didn't you? Now will you hurry up? We haven't got all day." 

"Of course.. I'm sorry." Jonathan looked to Craig, who he expected to defend him - Craig wasn't somebody who got angry easily, but the one time that Jonathan had seen his boyfriend truly angry was back before they became a couple, and it had been because somebody had said something nasty about Jonathan. Craig had severely told them off on Jonathan's behalf. 

He expected Craig to say something now - but he didn't. 

And even when Jason made Jonathan retake the photo six times, even though there was nothing wrong with the first photo, Craig remained silent. 

The second half of the show was just as good, if not better, than the first. It became even more dramatic as Higgins took all the credit for Eliza's success and Eliza walked out on him, furious and deeply hurt by the way he had treated her. All the drama students continued to carefully observe the different aspects of the show, making sure to jot down notes inside their heads that they could remember for their exams, whilst still enjoying the piece of theatre being performed in front of them. 

About the only person not enjoying the show was Jonathan. He sat the entire way through the second half fighting back tears, wishing that the show would just end so that he could go home and wouldn't have to listen to Craig and Jason laughing together any more, or see them sitting close together, looking as though they were the couple and not Craig and Jonathan. He just felt so betrayed. 

And during the final scene, when Eliza unexpectedly returned to Higgins's house and spoke her final lines, his tears began to fall again as he saw that Jason and Craig were sitting even closer together, as closely as the theatre seats would allow. The tears continued to stream down his cheeks as the curtain calls ended, the hall lights went on, and everyone began to get up from their seats after what had been an extremely good show. 

"Oh for pity's sake, what's wrong with you now? Surely you're not crying at My Fair Lady..? It's not even that sad!" Jason laughed, again in a tone reminiscent of the tone he had used when Joachim fell into the water on their geography school trip.

Craig's expression was a mixture of confusion and mild annoyance. Once again, he made no attempt to stop what Jason was saying. 

"It was.." 

"If we were watching In The Heights or Les Miserables or something like that, I'd understand.. but you're seriously crying at My Fair Lady? Wow, that's a bit pathetic." 

"What's even up with you tonight, Jonno?" Craig joined in, finally speaking, "all you've been is bad tempered and negative since we got here." 

"Yeah, you should lighten up a bit! You could do with smiling." 

"Yeah, well maybe you could do with being quiet!" Jonathan uncharacteristically snapped at the older Australian.

Craig looked extremely annoyed at this behaviour, Jason a mixture of shock and anger. "There you go again!" he exclaimed, "what on earth is wrong with you tonight, Jonathan? Jason was just trying to have a joke with you.. there's no need to be so nasty to him." 

"Oh, whatever." With that, Jonathan stormed away from the two boys, furious, confused and hurt, intending to make his way to the bathrooms before the parents arrived, the tears continuing to silently fall down his cheeks. 

"Mr Frieling..? Puedo ir a los aseos?" He asked their Spanish teacher, who nodded, though he frowned. 

"Si, por supuesto. Pero.. estas bien?" 

"I'm fine," responded Jonathan, with a smile, trying to give the impression that all was well in his world. "I'm just.. just so touched by this beautiful piece of theatre that we saw tonight. Theatre truly is so wonderful, isn't it?" 

Not waiting for the somewhat confused Mr Frieling's response, the Leicester-born speed-walked down the stairs past everyone else trying to make their ways out, headed straight for the bathrooms, hoping that there wouldn't be long queues. Fortunately, there were not many people waiting - just a man in his forties, a man who was around Pablo's age, Thomas from their class, and Giovanni. The former was on his phone, paying little attention to anything going on around him, but the latter turned to Jonathan with a sudden concerned expression. 

"Say.. Jonathan..? Are you all right..?" Giovanni asked. "Has somebody upset you..?" 

Yes, they really have, Jonathan thought, but he didn't say it out loud. He wasn't one for telling tales on people or talking negatively about them, even if they really did hurt him. So instead, he shook his head, replying "I'm fine". 

Giovanni didn't look convinced at all. "Are you sure..? I'm not going to go and tell everyone you know.. I'd only tell if you wanted me to." 

He was so kind that Jonathan felt his eyes filling with even more tears, but he shook his head. "Honestly, I'm fine." 

"Okay, if you're sure," Giovanni responded, still not at all convinced by the brave face that Jonathan was putting on his situation, "but if you need to talk to anyone, then you can always talk to me. And if you want me to have a word with anybody, then you know I will." 

"Thanks," Jonathan gave a small smile as a man in his thirties came out of the bathroom with his little son, who couldn't have been more than three years old. 

"No worries. I'm always here for everyone," the Sicilian smiled back, before entering the bathroom and closing the door. 

The line moved fairly quickly and soon enough Jonathan was in the bathroom. Once he had locked himself in, he sat down on the toilet and began to sob, wondering how the boy who had always made him so happy had managed tonight to make him feel so goddamn brokenhearted. 

..

Back in the foyer, as they all waited for their parents, Craig was still annoyed by the uncharacteristic behaviour from his boyfriend. 

"I'm honestly so sorry about him, Jason," he apologised, as they stood in a corner. "I don't know what's gotten into him tonight, I really don't." 

"You don't need to apologise. It's not your fault he's behaving like such an arse," Jason responded in rather a malicious tone, the one he usually reserved for when he spoke about Llambi. 

"I'm supposed to be going home with him tonight as well." 

"Why don't you come home with me instead..? You don't want to be with him whilst he's so miserable.. you could have so much more fun with me instead." 

For a moment, Craig wondered if this really was a good idea, whether there really was something upsetting Jonathan that they could talk through together back at his house. He began to wonder if maybe he had been a little bit harsh on Jonathan that evening, whether his behaviour towards the Leicester-born had really been very kind after all. 

"I'm not.." 

"Oh, come on Craig! Surely you can't want to hang around with someone that negative? Seriously, come home with me." 

Craig still wondered if it was a good idea, but he found himself nodding and saying, "sounds good. I'm sure that Jonathan will understand." 

"Let me just go and ask my parents.. but I'm sure they will be fine with it, they love it when I have friends round," Jason said, a wide grin spreading across his face. "And hey, if Jonathan really wants a sleepover with somebody, he should have one with Llambi. Two negative and mood-killing people together!" 

With that, he walked off to find his parents, who were just pulling up, and quickly asked them if it would be all right for Craig to come and stay the night. Pamela and Keith readily agreed - "it will be good for you to have some company tomorrow whilst Jamie is at his football match", Pamela said - and Jason dashed back to tell Craig the news with a grin on his face. 

"They said that's fine. They'll be out tomorrow morning - Jamie has a football match - so it fits in really well," he told his friend, arriving back at his side. 

"Perfect," Craig smiled back at him, just as Jonathan began to head in their direction. "Hopefully he's in a better mood now." 

"Craig, my mum's here. Are you ready to go..?" 

Jason's face took on an expression of fake sympathy. "Oh, I'm so sorry.. haven't you heard? Change of plan.. Craig's coming home with me." 

And that was the moment where Jonathan snapped. 

"Seriously, you guys..? Are you fucking kidding me right now..?" 

"Oh calm down and stop being so negative all the time, Jonathan, it's not a big deal!" Jason laughed raucously. "You know, just because you're in a relationship doesn't mean that you have to spend every waking hour together.." 

"Yeah, you're right. It's not a big deal. Just do what you like, Craig, I don't really care," Jonathan practically spat the words before storming off to his car, the tears once again beginning to fall thick and fast down his cheeks. 

As he made his way to the car, Joachim, who was currently waiting with Jorge and Motsi for his mum to arrive, caught sight of him and called over to him. 

"Hey, Jonathan! Are you okay..? Where's Craig?" 

"Gone home with Jason, of course." Jonathan knew that he sounded really rude right now but he couldn't help it. "He just told me." 

Joachim's expression turned to one of annoyance. "Of course he has. Hey.." he said softly, as more tears began to spill down Jonathan's face, "would you like to come home with me tonight..? Motsi and Jorge are coming too.. my mum won't mind. As I've said before, she just loves the fact that I have friends that I can bring home with me!" 

Jonathan was truly touched by the German-Spaniard's offer. He had been over to Joachim's house several times since Joachim had arrived at the school and he always enjoyed going over there - and he got on pretty well with Veronica and Markus as well. He loved the company of Jorge, Motsi and Joachim, and really appreciated the offer.. But tonight, the only person he really wanted to go home with was Craig. And seeing as Craig had other priorities at the minute.. being alone was all he wanted to be. He needed some time alone to process all that had happened and properly cry it out. 

"Thank you for the offer, Joachim, but it's fine," replied Jonathan with a smile. "I think I'll just go home and go to bed. I'll see you all at school on Monday." 

"You sure..? My mum honestly won't mind." 

"I'm sure. I think I just want to be by myself for now. But thank you so much for the offer.. I really do appreciate it, you know." 

"Okay. Well, if you need anything.." Jorge chimed in, "let us know." 

"Thank you, guys. See you Monday." Jonathan waved his hand at all three of his friends before heading over to the car, where his mum and dad were waiting, fiercely trying to wipe away the tears. He didn't want his parents worrying about him. 

"Jonathan..? Where's Craig..?" his mum asked with a frown, as he climbed into the back seat and immediately buckled his seatbelt. 

"He's .. he had to go. Other commitments," Jonathan replied, and though he didn't mention Jason's name outright, he knew that his parents knew who Craig was with. He didn't really talk about Jason to his parents, but they knew about how the amount of time that Craig was spending with his new friend was steadily increasing. They had seen it with their own eyes, heard about how they spent Christmas together and went ice skating together and spent.. most of their days together nowadays. They knew how much Craig was distracted by him. Jonathan didn't have to tell them everything that went on for them to know how distant they were right now. 

"I'm fine," he reassured his parents, flashing them a smile, trying to give off the impression that everything was indeed okay and that he really was fine. 

But the truth was.. he was far from fine. 

And even though it absolutely broke his heart, and was the very last thing that he wanted to do.. Jonathan knew exactly what it was he had to do tomorrow. 

Sometimes, enough is enough.


	30. the hardest conversation

Almost as soon as they arrived home at Jason's house, Craig began to get a horrible feeling that tonight, he made the wrong decision in going with Jason. 

Though it was late, Jason insisted upon having a shower, and whilst he locked himself in the bathroom and did that, Craig sat down on the floor in Jason's bedroom. Back against the closet, staring up at the ceiling, he began to process what had happened that night, and the more that he thought about it, the more he realised that he really had made mistakes tonight. Big mistakes. 

Jason had been so horrible that night to Jonathan, deliberately trying to wind him up and calling him negative and insulting him for crying. But he, Craig.. had been nasty as well. He had just stood there and let Jason.. and then, to some extent, he had joined in. He had been so impatient with him, had got annoyed with him when he wasn't his usual positive self... and now that he really thought about it, when Jonathan was trying to talk to him about his feelings, he was probably trying to tell him something really important - and he didn't even listen to him. 

Deciding that now he would give him his full attention, Craig pulled out his phone from his pocket and typed out a quick message to Jonathan, seeing that he was online. 

Craigy 🎷🎤: Jonno, are you okay..? I'm here if you want to talk ❤❤

Not a minute later, a message came through, one that struck fear into the Australian's heart immediately. 

Jonno 🐻❤: come over tomorrow. We need to talk. 

We need to talk..? Craig knew instinctively that their conversation was not going to be about something good. When someone said they needed to talk in such a blunt fashion, it was never usually a good sign. And it wasn't just what Jonathan had said that was concerning him, it was the way in which it was written. His messages always contained emojis - heart emojis, laughing emojis, crying emojis sometimes.. but they were never devoid of them like now. With horror he was now beginning to realise that something was really upsetting his boyfriend.. and he had a feeling that it was most definitely something to do with him. 

Craigy 🎷🎤: can't we talk about it now..? I'm free all night ❤❤

Jonno 🐻❤: I'd rather do it in person. 

Even more reason to believe that it was something serious that Jonathan wanted to discuss. The fear intensified as Craig stared down at his boyfriend's reply, a thousand possibilities of what he could want to talk about running through his head. None of them good ones. 

"Craig!" 

Jason was standing above him, looking very impatient indeed with him, and Craig realised that he must have been trying to get his attention whilst he was zoned out. 

"Oh.. hi, Jason." 

"You're messaging him, aren't you..?" Jason appeared suddenly annoyed. "Why..?" 

"Jason, he was obviously really upset tonight," Craig began, rather hesitantly, "and.." 

"No, he was being negative and rude and deliberately trying to ruin the evening for us, more like it," Jason snapped, and once again, Craig was reminded of the way that his fellow Australian constantly talked to Joachim. 

Noticing that Craig was once again typing out a message to Jonathan, Jason snapped, "Stop messaging him." 

"I'm just.. I'm just trying to sort out.." 

"Give me your phone." 

"What..?" 

"You heard me. Stop messaging him, and give me your phone." Jason reached out and attempted to snatch the electronic device out of Craig's hands. "Give me your phone! Don't you remember what I told you early on when we first started studying together? If I tell you to do something - you fucking well do it!" 

At that moment, an emotion that Craig had never before felt towards Jason rose to the surface - that being anger. In the first few months of Jason being at the school, when he used to be nasty to Craig and insult him on a daily basis, the fifteen year old Australian wasn't angry at him as such- because he knew that there was a reason behind his less than kind actions. He had taken it, but tonight it was just too much. Not only was he acting in such a controlling manner, trying to get him to hand over the phone like he had control over him, he had been so horrible to Jonathan.. and he had been so horrible to Joachim too on so many occasions. The Christmas concert night, the field trip for geography, at rehearsals for the choir concert. Delayed fury over the unfair treatment of his German-Spanish friend rose to the surface and mixed with the fury he felt about what had happened that night - and that was what caused him to snap. 

"No, I don't have to fucking do anything! You're not my father!" 

"Excuse me..?" 

"I said, you're not my father! So no, I'm not giving you my phone! If I want to message my boyfriend, then I can message my boyfriend! I don't need permission from you! And in fact - Jonno wasn't being rude tonight at all. He did absolutely nothing wrong. It was you that caused all of that!" 

"Oh, so we're just going to ignore the fact that he was rude to me, are we..? He told me I should shut my mouth.. I wouldn't exactly call that friendly, would you..?" 

"Yeah, he said that because you had been so rude to him and went out your way to make him feel pushed out!" 

Jason laughed, unaffected. "And I see you've also ignored the fact that you were to blame for all of this." 

"Excuse me.. what is that supposed to mean..?" 

"You didn't go out of your way to defend him, did you..? You made him cry - you were the reason that he was crying during the play! Everything tonight was your fault!" 

The anger intensified, and Craig had to fight the urge to slam Jason into his bedroom wall and scream at him until he took back the words he had just uttered. 

"Don't you dare put the blame on me! You were vile to him tonight! You excluded him from our conversation, when he arrived at the theatre. You kept calling him negative from the second that he arrived-" 

"Yeah, because that's what he was being! Negative. Come on, Craig, even you can see that, surely..?" 

"You made sure that he couldn't sit with us and disregarded his feelings-" 

"Craig, for heaven's sake, don't be so dramatic. It was one evening at the theatre. It was hardly going to kill him sitting away from you for a couple of hours. If you're really expected to sit with him every time you go somewhere, then that's not a healthy relationship-" 

"And what would you know about being in love..? It's not like you've ever been in a relationship now, is it..?" Craig snarled. "Then you deliberately tried to wind him up by making him take our photo over and over again, though there was literally nothing wrong with the first one that he took, and refused to let him get in the photo - you were fucking rude to him about that! I made a big fucking mistake tonight in coming home with you even though he and I had plans tonight - and I made a big fucking mistake in not stopping you being a dick to him! I made mistakes, yes, and I feel so fucking bad that I've hurt my boyfriend.. but don't you dare act like you did nothing wrong - because you were the main person in all of this!" 

Unable to stop himself, he continued ranting. 

"And you've been nothing but vile to Joachim since you came to the school as well! And I've stood there all this time and just let you treat him badly.. and the way that you talk to him isn't okay! Okay, I know that he sometimes is a little rude when talking to you, but that is no reason to mock him for falling over and-" 

"You know, between you and your friend Gonzalez, I must have heard about how hateful I was to poor, sweet, innocent Llambi on those occasions approximately 56000 times," laughed Jason, "and fine! Maybe it was wrong of me to mock him for wearing those leopard print trousers he looked utterly hideous in-" 

"There you go! Being horrible about him again! You don't know when to stop, do you?" 

"And maybe it was wrong for me to be so nasty to him about messing up his solo - the latter, for your information, I apologised for on the very night it happened."

"Whatever. Apart from that one apology, which was the least you could do, you have been nothing but hateful to him, and I'm not having you treating him like that, or treating my Jonno the way you did tonight ever again!" 

"Don't you tell me how I can treat Llambi. I will treat that boy the very way I want to! You don't know about what happened between us - so you don't get to fucking judge our actions towards one another, Craig Revel Horwood!" 

"And don't you tell me what to do when it comes to messaging my own boyfriend! I'm going to sleep now, and as soon as I wake up tomorrow, I'm going over to Jonathan's house and I'm going to listen to him. I'm going to talk to him. Because tonight.. " he glared at Jason as he took his pyjamas and toothbrush and paste out of his bag, "I left him and didn't listen to him when he needed me. And I decided to come home with you. And that's something that I really, really regret." 

Without looking at Jason, and without speaking another word, the enraged Australian stormed down the corridor to the bathroom. 

.. 

It was 9am when Craig knocked on the door at Jonathan's home, still early in the morning for a lot of people, but Jonathan had been awake for hours. He only slept for two hours the night before, and the sleep he did get was fitful and restless. As he tossed and turned, his head was full of thoughts about the conversation he had to have with Craig in just a few hours time. 

And he knew already that said conversation was going to be the hardest conversation of his entire life. 

He didn't want to do it.. he really didn't.. but he couldn't go on anymore like this. Getting his hopes up every single day that maybe he and Craig could hang out and spend some time together, and then having those hopes dashed when Craig decided to go and spend time with Jason instead. Watching the two of them spending time together, seeing how Jason would often give hugs or put his arm around him. Listening to Craig laughing at Jason's jokes, and wishing that he could be that funny. Feeling as though, to put it bluntly, he was getting cheated on. It was just all too much and whilst he didn't want to do what he was going to do today- he knew it was what was best for him at this point in time, and the most effective way for Craig to truly realise how hurt he had made Jonathan feel. 

If there was one thing Jonathan had always struggled with, it was putting himself first. He always used to put others before himself and never did what was best for him, and sometimes it left him feeling down because he was essentially sacrificing his own happiness and wellbeing for others. Today would be about the first time in his fifteen and a half years of life that he did put himself first - and he knew that it would be the best decision for him, even if it did break his heart into a million tiny pieces. 

Opening the door to Craig, he could tell with one look at him that he hadn't slept at all the night before. This was true - though he had pretended to be asleep and refused to talk to Jason at all for the rest of the night, Craig hadn't slept at all. All night he had lain awake, listening to Jason's breathing and the sound of the fan he insisted on having on every night without fail, even if it was raining and below freezing outside. A thousand possibilities of what Jonathan wanted to talk about so urgently with him whirling around and around in his head, keeping him from sleep. 

"Hey.." he said in a flat voice, holding the door open. "Um.. come in. We'll go upstairs to my bedroom. We're the only people here except for Amelia and she won't be disturbing us any time soon." Amelia was his older sister, and she was already well aware of what her brother was going to be doing. Jonathan hadn't told her straight out, but she had seen their relationship deteriorating the last few weeks as Craig began to favour being with Jason and could guess what Jonathan meant when he said that he was going to be having a serious and difficult conversation with Craig that day that he really didn't want to be disrupted. 

Craig followed Jonathan up the stairs to his bedroom, sitting down on the bed he had slept in beside his gorgeous boyfriend so many times. Looking around the room, Craig smiled at what was on the walls. Whereas Joachim's room was almost completely decorated with photos he himself had taken, and Jorge's was yellow with random feather boas and clothes everywhere, Jonathan's room said so much about him. All over the walls were revision notes - biology, chemistry, English literature, you name it it was there. All written in his small, beautifully neat handwriting that Craig at times felt a little envious of - his handwriting was massive and all over the place, especially when he was writing enthusiastically. 

Jonathan handed him a can of Coca-Cola, before sitting on the bed next to him. "Okay.. we need to talk, Craig. And I'm just going to get to the point.. I can't do it anymore. Our relationship.. I can't go on like this. I'm sorry." 

It took a moment or two for the words to register in Craig's brain, but then they did, leaving him shocked. He had considered the possibility that it might be about them breaking up - but he hadn't allowed himself to even start to believe that that was the case. It seemed ludicrous to him. They had been friends for so long now, had spent the last nearly seven months in a loving and committed relationship. On July 1st, they would celebrate their one year anniversary, and it would be so special. This couldn't.. this couldn't be the end of it. 

"Jonno.." 

"Craig, I need you to listen to what I have to say now. This is what I was trying to tell you at the theatre, that you didn't listen to." The words you didn't listen broke Craig's already breaking heart even more - he wished now more than anything that he could go back in time and fix what he did wrong at the theatre. "The truth is, Craig.. ever since you started hanging out with Jason back in November, I've constantly felt like I don't exist or like I don't matter to you anymore. Like I'm no longer your priority." 

"Jonno.. that's just not true! You matter to me.. so so much." Craig was already crying, tears rolling down his face at the thought that Jonathan could possibly feel as though he didn't love him. 

"I know you love me, Craig.. but let's talk about some of the things that have happened just over the last couple of months, shall we..?" Jonathan swallowed thickly, losing that he had to battle through this conversation even though it was so fucking painful. "Asides from last night, where I really felt so hurt.. there have been so many other examples of times I've been feeling left hurt because of your actions." 

"Like.. like when..?" 

"The time that you left me alone on the school trip and went to sit with Jason. All those times at break and lunch when you promised to come and sit with me and our friends, and you blew me off to go and be with Jason and Ashley. All those nights when I'd ask you if you wanted to come over and you'd say no because you were studying with Jason or doing something with Jason. New Year, where you cancelled our plans to go and ice skate with Jason. All those photos you posted on your Instagram with him.. you literally look like a couple at times, Craig, and though I don't think in any way, shape or form you actually are.." Jonathan paused. He didn't want to say the next sentence but knew that honesty was the best thing he could do in this situation. 

"It feels like you're cheating on me sometimes." 

At those final words, Craig completely broke down, sobbing uncontrollably. The idea that Jonathan would even think that he would cheat was heartbreaking - but now seeing his actions from Jonathan's perspective he could see exactly why one would think that. The way he posted about him and Jason going ice skating and to a coffee shop together - it was entirely innocent but in many ways that could have been interpreted as them having a date. The way that they went in the hot tub together that one evening when Craig was round at Jason's studying for their mocks - he had told Jonathan about that over text message, and only now was he realising just how coupley that sounded. He could totally see it now and he hated himself for not realising before the way that it was all coming across. 

"Jonno.. I'm so so sorry.. I really am so sorry," he sobbed. 

This was way harder than Jonathan had ever anticipated. He had expected it to be a hard conversation, but never this hard. 

"I know you are, Craig.. I know you are." 

"Please.. please don't say this is the end for us.." 

"Craigy.. look, I know you're sorry. And I love you so much. I always will love you - no matter what, I'll always love you. You were my first love, and that's something that is never going to go away. But I just can't do it anymore. I can't cope with always feeling second best any more." 

"No, no.. Jonno.. p-p-please don't do this..." Craig was absolutely distraught. "P-please.. please don't do this.." 

Jonathan was crying by this point, huge salty tears cascading down his face and dripping onto the casual grey pyjama top he hadn't bothered to change out of before Craig arrived for their talk. "I'm so sorry, Craigy. I love you so much, and I always will.. but our relationship is over. It's.. it's what I need to do for both of us.." 

"Jonno.. p-please.." 

"I'm so sorry, Craigy," Jonathan repeated himself, "but we are over." 

Craig started sobbing even harder as it hit him that Jonathan was not going to change his mind on this matter. This really was it.. their relationship truly was over. The boy sitting on the bed next to him was no longer his boyfriend. His sobs increased even more until he could barely breathe for sobbing, and it was at that moment that he felt a pair of warm arms wrap around him and realised that Jonathan was pulling him in for a cuddle. Usually, a hug from Jonathan would make him stop crying, help him feel better even when he was at his lowest. No matter what the problem, a hug from his Jonathan always made him feel so much better. But right now it was too bittersweet. He continued to sob, heartbroken and loathing himself, wishing that he had realised sooner how much pain his and Jason's friendship was bringing Jonathan.

He wished he had realised.. before it was too late. 

When he was finally released from the warm embrace a few moments later, Craig stood up from the bed, still sobbing heavily, managing to finally choke out "I-I'll leave you alone now." 

"Bye, Craigy.." were Jonathan's last words before the Australian left. The last words he heard before he ran across the landing, down the stairs, and out onto the street. Making his way home to his house, the tears didn't stop coming, and even though there were quite a few people out on a Sunday morning walk - be it with partners, friends or dogs - he didn't care what anyone thought. All he wanted to do at this point in time was go home, curl up in his bed, and allow himself to process the painful breakup that he had just experienced. 

When he arrived home at his house, nobody else was in. Checking his phone for the first time that morning, he noticed that his sister Sue had sent him a message just an hour ago, saying that they were all going to the park that morning, and that they would be home at lunchtime. Craig was relieved that he was home alone - he couldn't bear to face anybody at this exact moment. He needed to be alone, without people asking him questions about what exactly had left him in this state - questions he didn't know how he would ever even begin to answer. 

Making his way up to his bedroom, which had been left exactly how he had left it yesterday before he went to the theatre (unmade bed, his desk untidy, yesterday's washing still on the floor), Craig climbed into bed. Jumping out again, realising that his blinds were still up, he pulled them down so that he was plunged into complete darkness - except for the small crack of sunlight that was visible from underneath his door. Grabbing his favourite cushion, which had a picture of him and Jonathan on it - Jonathan had bought him it one day as a surprise present - he curled up in bed. Pulling the duvet right up over his head, he buried his head in his pillow, cuddled the cushion to his chest, and began to sob once again, sobbing until he finally fell asleep, exhausted from everything that had happened that day and from lack of sleep the night before. 

And just ten minutes away, in his own little bedroom, Jonathan did the exact same.


	31. the truth about jason gardiner

Craig spent the rest of that Sunday curled up in bed crying, hating himself more than he ever had done before, and when Monday rolled around, he really didn't want to go to school. But he knew he had to - he couldn't stay off forever, and after all, he had his GCSE examinations in just a few months. The teachers were constantly drumming it into the heads of the students how important attendance was in success. So he got up, put on his school uniform, ate a slice of toast with vegemite, reassured his family that he was okay (though in reality he was far from it) and then headed to school. 

He made it through the first two lessons of the day - just about. They were English language and Spanish - in English they were practicing transactional writing exam questions, and in Spanish, Mrs Kelly set them a past paper to be completed in exam conditions. These were things that Craig usually didn't mind doing - he quite enjoyed transactional writing and past papers were really effective for Spanish revision for him - but today he was so distracted that the teachers got annoyed at him. All he did the entire lesson was keep glancing over at Jonathan, who had come into class with red eyes, looking like he hadn't slept well at all. Jonathan refused to make any eye contact, his gaze fixed on his work, and Craig knew just how badly he had hurt the boy that he was so in love with. 

He didn't want to tell his friends. He really didn't - he didn't know how to put it to them and he didn't want them to be annoyed at him. Though he deserved it for being such a jerk to Jonathan.. he didn't want them to fall out with him too. But they put two and two together. It was Jorge that worked it out. He saw the red eyes and tear-stained face of Jonathan, the heartbroken expression and inability to focus of Craig. He saw the way they came into class separately and the way that they didn't sit together. He knew just how strained their relationship had been and he remembered the way that Jonathan had looked so devastated at the theatre, when they were getting ready to leave. 

He saw all these things.. and whispered to Joachim, who he was sitting next to, "they've broken up, I know it." 

At lunchtime, before they went in to eat their lunches in the dining hall, Jorge, Motsi and Joachim approached Craig, determined to find out whether the theory was correct. 

"You've broken up with Jonathan, haven't you?" Jorge wasted no time in getting to the point. 

"Jorge!" Motsi hissed. 

"What?" Jorge shrugged, before he turned back to Craig. "Have you?" 

"Yeah, we have," Craig choked out, his eyes filling with tears again - tears he thought he didn't have inside him, due to the fact that he had literally spent the whole day yesterday sobbing in bed. "And it's all my fault. I've treated Jonathan so badly.. and at the theatre.. he really.. he really.. he really needed me and I didn't listen to him because I was too busy hanging around with Jason! And then I went.. I went home with Jason because he asked me to and then I realised what a mistake I.. I made and now.. now my Jonno and I are no longer together and I'm no longer friends with Jason." 

Motsi pulled the sobbing Craig in for a hug, holding him close to her as he wept with guilt and heartbreak. 

"Don't be too hard on yourself. We all make mistakes.." 

"This wasn't a mistake! I made the conscious decision.. to.. to spend time with Jason over my own boyfriend. I stood there whilst Jason was saying horrible things to Jonno and didn't say or do anything to protect him! He went home on Saturday night crying because of me and.." 

"Wait.. what did Jason say to him?" Joachim suddenly looked furious. 

"Jonathan? All kinds of things. Said that he was being negative all night.. laughed at him because he was upset.. deliberately tried winding him up.. he was speaking to him a lot like he speaks to you, actually." Craig gulped, trying to stop crying. "Then I made the decision to go home with him on Saturday night rather than Jonathan, my own boyfriend, and then I.. I got angry at him. Jason told me to stop messaging Jonathan and was so controlling and said some horrible things about both Jonathan and about you, Joachim.." At that, Joachim muttered no surprise there under his breath and let out a derisive snort. "And I.. I snapped at him, told him to stop saying such horrible things.. and.. and and left the house in the morning before he could wake up and then went over to Jonathan's and he.. he told me about all the times I've hurt him since I started hanging out with Jason. The times I've cancelled our plans so I could spend time with Jason.. neglected him.. now I fucking wish I hadn't because I've lost Jason as a friend now and I've lost the only boy that I ever truly loved, and I just feel so.." he started sobbing harder, his attempts to stop crying not working. Motsi hugged him tighter, mildly annoyed at him for hurting Jonathan at the theatre and on other occasions, but more preoccupied with comforting him. 

Joachim was the first to break the shocked silence that had fallen. Though they had worked it out already it was still a shock to see what they once thought an unbreakable couple break up. With eyes flashing, shaking his head, he said, "I'm honestly so sorry that you've lost Jonathan, Craig.. and I'm sorry that you've lost your friend too. But if I'm honest.." he was unable to stop himself, "I just knew that something like this would happen. He started off acting all nice to you, making him your best friend.. and then went and fucked up." 

He took a deep breath, deciding to just speak the words that had formed inside of his head. 

"All I can say is.. thank fuck that you're openly gay, Craig." 

Simultaneously, Craig, Motsi and Jorge turned to look at the German-Spaniard, shocked beyond belief, all wondering if Joachim was insinuating was what they all thought he was insinuating. 

"No.." Jorge let out a laugh of disbelief, thinking back to the conversation that he, Motsi and Joachim had had on Halloween, that the German-Spaniard had become a bit upset during. "No.. no. He didn't." 

"Yeah. He did. Almost two years of friendship.. and then that happened." Joachim too let out a laugh - but this time, one of bitterness. "Now can you see why I wasn't exactly thrilled at the idea of you being friends with him and hanging out with him constantly, Craig..? Can you see why walking into school one day and seeing that he had come here wasn't exactly a happy moment for me..?" 

Craig was in shock. He didn't know at all what to make of the situation or how to react - this had come as a major bombshell to him. 

"Wait.. so he..?" He began, deciding first of all to get confirmation if his interpretation of Joachim's words was the right interpretation. "He.." he hardly knew how to say it. "He.. he outed you..?" 

A suddenly tearful Joachim looked into his eyes and nodded in confirmation. 

"Yeah. Jason Gardiner outed me." 

"Where is he..?" Jorge snarled suddenly, looking apoplectic as he looked all around for Jason. They had never seen him look this angry before. "I swear to God, when I get my hands on that boy, I'm going to punch him in the.." 

"Jorge, you are not going to do anything," Motsi said firmly, holding onto his shirt as he spied Jason and made to storm off towards him. "I refuse to let you." 

"Get off me, Motsi!" Jorge tried to get free. "I need to go and have a few words with-" 

"Jorge, I refuse to let you storm over there like this," Motsi told him in the same firm tone, trying to calm him down, tightening her grip on his polo shirt. "I know you're angry, but like I've said before, going over there screaming and shouting at him is going to get you a detention. And I don't want you to get another detention.. and violence is never the answer. Calm down, Jorge, and at least listen to what Joachim has to say..?" She could sense that for the first time, Joachim was ready to talk about what really happened between both him and Jason. 

At that, Jorge seemed to back down a little. "All right, I won't go over there. For now." 

Sitting back down in his place, his face still flushed red with anger, he tried to calm himself down, to no avail. Motsi gently put her arm around Joachim, and wiping his eyes, the German-Spaniard began to tell his friends the truth about what happened between him and Jason. 

"Jason and I met when I first moved from Duisberg to the UK," he revealed, his friends listening to him intently. "We became friends one day about four weeks after I joined the school. I was an outsider - when I arrived in the UK, as I've mentioned before, I was very hesitant when speaking English and people used to make fun of my accent. It wasn't.. it wasn't actually Jason who made friends with me initially, it was Ashley. He saw me sitting alone one day - actually," he gave a small laugh, "the way we met is quite similar to how we first became friends, Jorge. Ashley came over to me and started talking to me, because I was upset as people had been making fun of me in class that day. He asked me if I wanted to come and sit with him and his friend Jason that lunchtime, and that's what I did.. that's where it began. 

"Quickly, Jason and I became really good friends.. I was friends with Ashley as well but I was always much closer with Jason. Our families actually got on really well..one year, we spent New Year together and went to a restaurant like my family have always loved doing. We spent a lot of time together.. and though both of us suffered quite a bit of bullying, me for my accent and the way I looked and Jason for his interests mostly.. we had each other. And I appreciated that so much." 

"Where did it all go wrong..?" Jorge asked, trying to imagine Jason and Joachim as best friends, spending so much time together. 

"Jason was.. he was the first person I came out to. It was quite spontaneous - in the corner of the school playground one lunch time - and when I told him, I said to him, 'please don't tell anyone - I'm still figuring myself out and I don't want anyone to know.' I knew there were homophobes at the school as well and no way did I want to be on the receiving end of that. He was so understanding about it, he told me that I was his friend no matter who I chose to get into a relationship with.. and that he would never tell anyone. He promised that he would be there to support me all the way when I decided to finally publicly come out and that he would be my biggest cheerleader. And what did naive, unsuspecting thirteen year old Joachim Llambi who had never really had a true friend before do..? He believed him. 

"Next day.." he broke off, tears rolling down his face as he remembered what had happened that Friday when he came into the school in the morning. 

"Take your time," Motsi told him, rubbing his shoulder as a form of comfort. "It's okay." 

"Next day," Joachim continued after a short silence in which he tried to compose himself, "next day, I came into school in the morning and I immediately knew that something was up. When I came into the classroom, everyone stared at me. Like.. every single eye in that room was on me, and people were whispering about me.. and not in a good way. Then one of the students at the back stood up and told me they.. they knew. They knew that I was bisexual.. I won't say exactly what they said because.. because it really hurt. But that's where things began to get really bad for me..

"From that moment on, Jason and I stopped being friends. It hurt so much because I really thought that he was a true friend.. but he wasn't, he really wasn't. Real friends don't do that to you.. as you told me at Halloween, Motsi, real friends wouldn't ever care who you chose to be in a relationship with, or what you identified as. He wasn't a true friend. Anyway, there began the worst few months of my life. Everyone in that school seemed to know I was bisexual, and it wasn't something I wanted them to know. Even now I don't want everyone to know. And everyone seemed to hate me for my sexuality. There were people who didn't bully me, rather just ignored me as they always had done.. but there were people who did, and the bullying was dreadful. It got to the point where I was coming home every single night and crying alone in my bedroom.. and at home I was, to put it bluntly, a nightmare to have around. All my parents ever did was try to help me, and because I was so unhappy, I could sometimes be nasty to them and snap at them for tiny little things. Like, they'd ask me how my day was and I'd say something like "just leave me alone and stop harassing me". That's something I still feel so unbelievably guilty for, even though they reassured me when I apologised to them that they love me no matter what and that I'll always be their baby. It.. it carried on every single day. They continued making fun of me and bullying me, until I finally left the school and moved here. And then I was finally really happy.. but then I found that Jason had come to our school. The person who caused this all to happen. And that's why.. that's why I don't exactly want to hang around with him. That's why I was so unsure and reluctant about going to the birthday party. That's why I was furious when I found out you were like best friends with him, Craig. Jason Gardiner was the person that started off the hardest few months of my life, and that's something I don't know if I can ever, ever forget." 

"And I don't think I can ever forget what you did to me." 

The voice came from behind them, and turning around, Joachim's expression turned to one of horror as he realised that Jason had overheard their entire conversation. 

"Oh, there you are! Now just you listen to me!" Jorge exploded, storming over to him and resisting the urge to grab him by the shirt and shake him violently. "How dare you out my best friend..? How fucking dare you..? I swear to God, if we weren't in school right now and I wasn't under threat of getting a detention, then I would -"

"Jorge, seriously, stop!" Motsi restrained the Cuban, pulling him back to prevent him doing what she feared that he would do. 

"I overheard pretty much your entire conversation," Jason replied, completely unfazed by Jorge's outburst. "Touching speech, Joachim. But I think you left out one crucial part of the story.." 

Just as he had done after their argument at Craig's birthday party, Joachim suddenly appeared terrified, a look of fear in his dark brown eyes.

"Jason.. don't." 

"You see," Jason continued, taking no notice of Joachim, "Llambi is right. He was bullied at our old school, and I suppose in a way, I am the reason that everyone found out that he was bisexual. But it seems there are a few things that he failed to tell you." 

"Jason.. please." 

"Can someone please tell me what's going on..?" Jorge burst out impatiently, wondering just what was happening. 

Jason turned to a terrified Joachim and in a dangerous tone, he spoke. 

"Are you going to tell them, Llambi, or shall I?"


	32. the truth about Llambi

Joachim didn't respond to the question, shooting the Australian a pleading look, which he completely ignored. 

"Can somebody tell me what the actual hell is going on..?" Jorge snapped, losing the last bit of patience he had. 

After a silence that indicated that Joachim was not going to say anything, Jason decided to take it upon himself to tell the others. 

"Okay, I guess they're hearing it from me instead." 

"Jason.. please, please don't say anything." Joachim had never felt more scared than he did in that moment. He had been so sure that Jason was going to let the cat out of the bag at the birthday party a month ago, that that was going to be the moment when Jorge and Motsi found out. The relief that had washed over him when Jason had kept quiet was immense, same with when Jorge had believed him when he said that Jason was lying when he said that something had happened and that nothing had happened. But now.. it was all about to get revealed, and he felt sick to the stomach. He knew exactly how Motsi and Jorge were going to take what Jason was about to tell them. 

"Joachim.. what the hell have you done..?" Jorge was beginning to look furious - and this time, not towards Jason. 

"I'll tell you." Jason glared at Joachim with almost hatred in his hazel eyes. "Here we go, the truth about Llambi. Yes, I am the reason that everyone found out about your sexuality, Llambi. However, like you never let me explain - I was forced to. And I was not the person that told the whole school. You remember Ryan..? He came over to me the day that you told me that you were bi, and it turned out he had overheard part of the conversation we had. He asked me if you were gay.. pressured me into telling him and promised that he wouldn't tell anyone else. He kept on and on about it, wouldn't let it go, so just to get him off my back I told him the truth. I told him you were bisexual but not comfortable with coming out to everyone yet. He promised he wouldn't say a thing to anyone. And then he went and told his friends that you were bisexual. They then told their friends, and their friends told their friends, and by the next day.. everyone knew about it. I know full well that I shouldn't have told him, that all this wouldn't have happened had I been just that little bit stronger and able to stand up for myself against others. And like I called after you that day, Llambi, I really am sorry that I wasn't strong enough to stand up to him and tell him that I was keeping what you told me in confidence between just us. I'm sorry I gave in so easily. I'm sorry that everything happened the way it did. And I'm so sorry that you got bullied because of me - but then the bit your friends don't know about happened." 

"Which is..?" 

"On Llambi's last day at the school, he crept into the classroom before anyone else came in from lunch, and he wrote on the board.." 

"Jason.. please stop.." 

"Somehow, the teachers never saw it. But all the students did.. and I certainly did. When I came into the classroom, that was what was on the board.. and what everyone was talking about. Ashley quickly rubbed it out before anyone else saw it.. but by that time everyone in the class knew. And Llambi walked out early that day to move to his new house, knowing that that had been his leaving present-" 

"WHAT DID HE WRITE?!" Jorge screamed, before realising that everyone was staring at him. "Just tell me what he wrote, for God's sake," he hissed, after he shouted across to everyone that he was fine and to leave them in peace. 

All the anger that Jason had at Joachim bubbling over, he spoke the next few words in a scathing tone, practically spitting them out. 

"He wrote on the board that I was gay. He told everyone about what was back then my biggest insecurity, and then fucked off halfway across the country and left me suffering the same bullying that he had been suffering for months!" 

There was a silence, a very awkward one indeed, before Jorge spoke up. 

"Joachim.." he said in a low and dangerous voice, "please tell me that this is some kind of sick joke. Look me in my eyes and tell me honestly that Jason is lying through his teeth about this." 

A few moments more of silence went by, in which everyone anticipated the answer. Finally, with everyone glaring at him, Joachim made eye contact with Jorge and spoke, his voice shaky and full of fear. 

"Jorge.. do you remember what you said to me that time I spilled tomato soup on the book you lent me and lied about it...?" 

"What has that got to do with this..?" Jorge practically snarled, and Joachim felt his eyes welling up with tears once more, a few of them spilling down his cheeks as he swallowed and prepared to say his next sentence. 

He knew he had to be honest. 

"You told me that you don't like it when people lie to you.." 

"What the hell has that got to do with this..?" Jorge hissed through gritted teeth. 

"And well, Jorge, if I said that Jason's story wasn't true.. I would be lying." 

Jorge stood there, still as a statue, staring straight at his friend as he attempted to process what had happened in the last few moments. He said nothing, the realisation that the bad feeling he had had at the birthday party turning out to be true washing over him. It was only when the bell rang for lunch a few seconds later that he seemed to snap out of his trance. He waited until everyone else had gone, and without a word, he turned on his heel and began to walk towards the cafeteria. 

Joachim made to follow him. 

"Why are you following me..?" The Cuban snapped, after a few steps. 

"I.. I thought.." 

"Thought that I would pat you on the shoulder and go 'Oh don't worry about it Joachim, outing someone is perfectly okay'..? Well, you thought wrong. Fuck off.." 

"Jorge, please.. I was angry after so many months of bullying and I just snapped.." 

"I said, fuck off!" Jorge shouted, in a way that he had never done before. He looked apoplectic once more, and this time the anger really was directed at Joachim. "Actually fuck off! I don't want anything to do with you." 

"Haven't you done things you regret..? Haven't you snapped before when you were angry..?" Joachim tried to talk him around. 

"Yeah, I have, but I've never written someone's sexuality that they weren't comfortable with sharing on the whiteboard in a classroom!" Jorge hissed - though he was furious at the German-Spaniard, he didn't want everyone hearing about this. "Now fuck off. I don't want to talk to you anymore. You aren't somebody I want to associate myself with now that I know what you're capable of." 

The tears began to roll down Joachim's face even faster, and he choked out "but Jorge, you're my best.." 

"Let me correct you there. I was your best friend," Jorge lowered his voice even more, acutely aware of the fact that there were a number of people looking over at the two of them. "But not anymore. Just.. don't talk to me, Joachim. We're done." 

And with that, the furious Cuban stormed off into the lunch hall. 

"Motsi.." Joachim, who was fully sobbing by this point, turned to his other best friend. "Please.. please don't.." 

"I just.. I can't believe you would do something like that," Motsi's tone was colder than he had ever heard it before. Motsi was never angry.. she was one of the happiest girls that Joachim had ever met, and her being angry was a very rare occurrence indeed. It took something really significant to make her mad. 

"I'm sorry, Joachim.. but I can't. I can't be friends with you any more.. not now I know." 

She turned around and started running to catch up with Jorge, and a conflicted and still heartbroken Craig said nothing, just walking past him in complete silence. The three of them left Joachim sobbing, regretting everything that had happened. 

Joachim didn't go to the lunch hall that day. He knew it would be too painful to sit there and eat his lunch at a table all alone whilst his former friends sat laughing and joking with each other, still close, not too far from him. 

Instead, he locked himself in a cubicle in the boys' bathrooms, which was deserted, everyone downstairs in the lunch hall. 

The German-Spaniard spent the rest of lunch sitting on the toilet seat with his head in his hands, sobbing his heart out, hating himself more than he ever had done before, feeling so guilty that he had done such a terrible thing to somebody that he once considered his best friend.


	33. i hate myself

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the longest chapter yet! Enjoy.. and get ready for an emotional ride! 
> 
> Also added note - about three quarters of this chapter is written in flashback form.

It had been nearly three weeks since he arrived at his new school, and Joachim still hadn't managed to make friends. 

He had this feeling that he was disappointing his parents with his failure to make friends so far. They had literally quit their jobs, sold their house and moved halfway across the UK for the sake of Joachim's mental health, after he was bullied so badly at his old school that he came home every night in tears. 

After a while of being bullied (for his sexuality mostly), he stopped crying at school. Even if he did it privately in the bathrooms, someone would always know about it, and then he would get mocked for being too sensitive. But every night when he came home, he would do homework, eat dinner with his parents, get ready for school the next day.. and then he would turn the lights off, lie down on his bed, and just cry away the day. His parents would often hear him just lying there sobbing inconsolably and wish that there was something they could do.. but there was limited that could actually be done. It went without saying that the teachers at his school hadn't been helpful at all. They had told him that he shouldn't let words get to him and basically done nothing about it, no matter how many times Veronica and Markus went into school about the matter. 

All they could really do was go into the bedroom and hold Joachim's hand or rub his back whilst he sobbed, and hope that some day soon the bullies would stop. 

Since he arrived at this school, Joachim had been spending most of his break times and lunch times alone, sitting on the bench reading or doing some homework. He wanted to make friends with somebody, but he just wasn't sure who - or how to go about it. Making friends just wasn't one of his talents, and he doubted it ever would be. 

"Hola, Joachim! ¿Estás bien?" 

Joachim looked up from the book he was reading to see his classmate, Jorge Gonzalez, stood in front of him. The extremely tall Cuban had been one of the first students he had taken notice of - he was very confident, very outgoing, and had a very unique dress style, which really made him stand out in the crowd. 

"Si. Estoy bien," he responded, flashing him a small smile, wondering what he was talking to him for. 

"What are you reading?" Jorge asked, continuing to talk in Spanish, sitting down next to him. "Anything exciting?" 

Joachim flashed him the cover of his book - the autobiography of one of the most famous golfers in history, which he was already halfway through reading. 

"Interesting. Not something I would have chosen to read myself, but enjoy, I guess," Jorge replied, and Joachim immediately slipped the book in his bag, hoping that the Cuban wasn't internally laughing at him for his choice of reading matter. 

"You used to live in Germany, am I correct?" 

Joachim nodded. "Yeah." 

"But you're Spanish, aren't you?" Jorge continued his questioning, and Joachim nodded once more. 

"Yeah. Well.. half Spanish. My mum and her side of her family are from Barcelona. My dad is German.. from Duisberg. I was born there." 

"Barcelona and Duisberg! Such lovely places. I went on holiday to Barcelona a couple of years ago with my family and it was a wonderful experience," Jorge chattered away. "And I've driven through Duisberg - a beautiful place! One of the boys in our class is actually from Duisberg, you know." 

"Who..? You..?" 

"No! No, I used to live in Cologne. You know Thomas? The one who always forgets his homework, wants to be a pop star and calls himself Der Checker?" 

Joachim nodded. He had learned which one was Thomas fairly quickly, as his name was called out a LOT in class. He didn't exactly like the boy - Joachim thought Thomas had no respect for anything or anyone - but he wasn't about to say that to Jorge. So he simply replied, "oh yes, I know who you mean." 

"Well, he's from Duisberg." 

"That's nice." Joachim paused for a moment. "So you're from Cologne?" 

"Yeah! I'm Cuban, as you know.. but up until the start of the year I lived in Cologne with my family," Jorge chattered away. "I moved there when I was very young. Do you have brothers or sisters? If so, are they at this school...?" 

Joachim couldn't help but think that Jorge was very full on with his questioning, but at the same time, he was glad that he was that way. He knew that he himself wasn't the most talkative of people or the easiest to hold a conversation with. 

"No, I'm an only child," he replied, "my parents only ever wanted one child. I always really wanted a brother or sister though." He paused again, before asking a question of his own. "How about you..?" 

"Have I got a brother or sister, you mean..? Yes, I have a brother named Pablo. He doesn't live here though - he's 8 years older than me, so he lives in Cuba, where he works as a chef. I just live with my parents these days. Do you have any pets..?" 

"I have a tortoise.. a tortoise called Barker." 

Jorge burst out laughing as Joachim revealed his pet's name, making the German-Spaniard's face fall. "Barker..?" 

"I just.. I just really wanted a dog, but could never have one as my father is allergic," Joachim looked down at his lap, twisting his hands as he always did when he was nervous or upset. "I know it's slightly.. " 

"Hey, it's a sweet name! And I love when people use names for animals that don't exactly fit their description - I used to have a pet fish called Skipper, actually." 

Now it was Joachim's turn to laugh, though he still didn't look up at the Cuban. He knew he was probably coming across as rude right now, but he hated making eye contact with new people. He could just about do it with his family but everyone else he struggled with looking into their eyes. His family had been telling him for literally as long as he could remember how important it was to look people in the eyes when you were talking to them, and he did try, but it made him feel so intimidated. 

"Do.. do you have any pets..?" 

"Yeah! I have a dog named Paco, who is the love of my life. We adopted him from a rescue centre a couple of years ago and he is honestly my pride and joy." Jorge fell into a silence for a moment, before looking at Joachim seriously as the bell signalling the start of lunchtime rang. "Hey.. do you want to sit with me at lunch today..? I've got nobody to sit with today, and well.. you seem so lovely." 

Joachim knew in his heart that Jorge was probably only even talking to him because his best friend, Motsi, wasn't in school today. He knew that he probably had no interest in him and that when the south African beauty came back, he would never talk to him again. But the German-Spaniard found himself nodding, deciding that even if it was only for one day, he would like some company. 

"Perfect! Vámonos al comedor, Joachim Llambi," Jorge grinned, leaping up from the bench and beginning to walk towards the canteen, Joachim following close behind him. 

... 

After they ate lunch together yesterday, Joachim expected that that would be the last time he and Jorge interacted properly - and it seemed as though he was right when he walked into the classroom and the Cuban paid no attention to him. He sat at the table, chatting to Motsi (who had now returned) about something or other, and even though Joachim had expected it, he couldn't help but feel sad that Jorge had only seemingly wanted to spend time with him because his friend hadn't been in school the day before. 

The first two lessons were English and Spanish, two subjects Joachim really enjoyed. He received an essay back for English, with a score of 15/20, and overall very positive comments written underneath it by the teacher. Spanish he received an essay back also, and smiled widely when he saw that he had achieved 18/20, with the one single criticism that he could have expanded upon one of his points a little more. 

At breaktime, Joachim stayed in a little longer than everyone else, taking his time to get his stuff. After using the bathroom and tidying up his desk, he took his book from his bag and headed downstairs to the playground, intending to sit on the bench once more and read. He made a beeline for the usual one he sat on, which he had pretty much claimed as his bench as nobody else used it. But as he got to the bottom of the stairs, he was extremely surprised to see it already being sat on by two people. 

Motsi and Jorge. 

"Yoohoo, Joachim! Come over here!" Jorge called over, and the German-Spaniard headed over with a look of confusion upon his face. 

"Um.. hi." 

"How are you today?" Jorge asked him, patting the place next to him. "Doing okay?" 

"I'm.. I'm good, yeah," nodded Joachim, wondering if maybe Jorge actually did want to talk to him after all. Maybe he hadn't just talked to him because he was feeling lonely... 

"Hi, Joachim! I'm Motsi - although you probably already know that," Motsi laughed, smiling at him. "Jorge tells me you used to live in Duisberg!" 

Joachim sat down, opening up his lunchbox and taking out some raisin bread. Taking a bite of his bread, he replied, "Yeah.. yeah, I did." 

"That's so cool! Do you ever miss living in Germany?" Motsi asked. 

"Yeah.. I guess in ways, I do. I.. I moved away from Duisberg when I was eleven years old because my dad got a new job over in the UK and it had always been a dream of his to live in the UK at some point in his life. I lived the other side of the country until July.. then I moved here. So to answer your question, I do miss living in Germany sometimes, but I also really love the UK and am beginning to feel happy here." 

This was the longest that Joachim had spoken to anyone since being at the school, except for when he had to read aloud in class, and he flushed slightly, wondering if he was boring Jorge and Motsi. Deciding to ask a question of his own, he said in a very timid voice, "Do you miss Germany?" 

"Sometimes, yes. I lived there from a very young age, and it was definitely sad and weird leaving it all behind.. but I love living in the UK. And I'm so glad that I got to move with one of my best friends." 

At that remark, Jorge smiled at the girl, putting his arm around her. 

"So you lived almost your whole childhood there? Duisberg?" 

"Yeah. My mum is actually from Barcelona, but we always lived in Germany. Until I was eleven, when we moved to the UK." Joachim finished his raisin bread and turned to twisting his hands in his lap again. "It was quiet.. I'm an only child so I spent most of my childhood by myself.. but it's a lovely place." 

"Oh yes, I remember hearing you're an only child. I can't relate - I have two much younger sisters, Otlile and Phemelo. Everyone calls Otlile Oti though, because nobody ever knows how to say it right." 

Joachim laughed. 

"You know, my full first name is actually Motshegetsi," Motsi revealed, "but I shorten it." 

"I can see why!" Joachim laughed, still twisting his hands together in his lap. "It's.. it's a lovely name though." 

"Thank you!" 

"I also shorten my name," Jorge told him. "My full name, that is. My full name is Jorge Alexis Gonzalez Madrigal Varona Vila, but I just use the Gonzalez." 

"My mum has a pretty long name herself." As he spoke, the bell rang, signalling the end of break. "But my name is just Joachim Llambi. No middle name or anything." 

"Ugh, we have maths now," the Cuban pulled a disgusted face. "Seriously, when I'm a fashion designer, I won't need to know how to find the area of a triangle or what the probability of Maria choosing a bag of salt and vinegar crisps from a multi pack, but there you go. Okay, Joachim no middle name Llambi, we'll come and find you at lunch so that we can all sit together." 

"Jorge!" 

"What?" Jorge shrugged. 

"You haven't even asked the poor guy if he wants to eat lunch with us..he might not want to," Motsi pointed out. 

"Well, he hasn't exactly been a social butterfly at lunchtimes so far, has he? People aren't exactly queueing up to eat with him," Jorge laughed, a comment that made Joachim's heart drop a little. He knew well that he hadn't exactly been sociable since he arrived at the school, but the way in which Jorge was laughing made him feel a little sad. "But sorry, Joachim. Do you want to eat with us?" 

Joachim smiled. "Yes please." 

"Perfect! Then it's settled," Jorge grinned, as the three of them walked back to class together, ready for the next two lessons. 

.. 

Joachim didn't tell his parents about Jorge and Motsi for the first few days. 

He didn't say anything because he was still unsure as to whether they really did want to be friends with him, or whether they were just hanging around with him because they felt sorry for the new boy who wasn't a "social butterfly". But on the fifth day that they sat together, he came home with a massive smile on his face, practically skipping as he went into the garden to find his parents to tell them the news. 

Markus was still working, but Veronica was sitting at the garden table in the warm sunshine, drinking some orange juice that she herself had made. And as she told Joachim later, the second that she saw his face, she knew exactly what he wanted to tell her. This was the first time in forever that he had come home this happy. Since starting at this new school, his nightly crying fits had stopped, but he still hadn't exactly come home from school happy like he once had done. But tonight, his entire face was literally lit up, he was smiling like he hadn't done in months, and she had a feeling that he had done what she had really hoped he would do. 

"Guess what, Mum?" he burst out as soon as he saw her.

Veronica smiled. "What?" 

"I made friends!" Joachim cried, his voice unusually high pitched with excitement. 

It had happened at lunchtime - it had become official. They had been sitting together eating their lunches, and Jorge had asked him "do you want to come over to my house one night after school and meet my family..?" 

Joachim had been quite taken aback by that question. "Are.. are you sure you want me to come over..?" he had asked in rather a stuttery tone. 

"Why wouldn't I want you to come over? We're friends, aren't we..?" Jorge had replied in a rather confused tone, which shocked the German-Spaniard into a momentary silence. 

He had called him his friend. 

His friend. 

"Yes.. yes we are," he replied a few moments later, when he realised that he hadn't said anything and that Jorge and Motsi were looking at him expectantly. "We are friends." 

"Oh, my darling! That's amazing news!" Veronica sounded almost as excited as her son was. Getting up from her chair, she enveloped Joachim in a massive hug, cuddling him close to her as the tears of happiness filled her eyes. "I'm so happy for you!! And so proud of you!! I told you you'd make friends, didn't I?" 

She kissed the top of his head before breaking up the hug. "I'll just go and get you some orange juice, and then you can sit down and tell me all about these new friends." 

She came back out a few moments later with a glass of orange juice for him and some ginger biscuits. Putting them in front of him on the table, she sat down more composed and said expectantly, "go on then. Tell me about these new friends of yours." 

"Well, there's Jorge.. and then there's Motsi," Joachim began, smiling as he said their names. "Jorge's from Cuba, but he lived in Germany most of his life until earlier this year, and he really wants to be a fashion designer. He makes his own clothes, and whilst I wouldn't wear what he chooses to wear.." he let out a laugh, "he really is talented. And Motsi is South African, but she lived in Germany most of her life until earlier this year as well. She and Jorge moved from Germany together.. they've been best friends since they were really young." 

"What part of Germany..?" 

"Cologne," responded Joachim. "And Motsi loves to dance.. she wants to perform when she's older. They-" 

He continued talking about his new friends for the next half hour with a huge smile on his face, full of joy. And as he saw the smile on his mum's face as he did so, he got the feeling that for the first time in forever.. he had really made her proud and happy. 

.. 

"I really am so sorry." 

"You really don't need to apologise," Joachim reassured him tearfully, as he scrubbed his face free of the clown make up that Jorge had just done for him. "I'm sorry." 

"You don't need to apologise! This is my fault. I should have asked you if you were scared of clowns before I went ahead and started on your face." As Joachim wiped the final traces of makeup from his face, Jorge pulled him in for a hug. "I really am so sorry." 

"No.. it's not your fault. It's mine for being so silly.. I feel so stupid, crying over this." 

"Hey, hey! Don't you dare talk yourself down - you and Motsi need way more confidence in yourselves! Being afraid of something doesn't make you stupid. We're all afraid of something, you know," Jorge reassured him, still hugging him. "For example.. you know that I'm terrified of heights..?" 

Joachim shook his head. 

"I've never told you..? I have the worst fear of heights, always have done. I once went to the Eiffel Tower whilst in Paris with my family when I was about five and when we got to the top I started crying really loudly. Mami had to stand there right back from the edge holding me and I literally didn't stop crying until we got to the bottom again. I must have really embarrassed them and Pablo." 

Joachim chuckled. "I think all kids have done something like that in public before. I once crawled under a table in a restaurant on New Year's and started sobbing really loudly with my hands over my ears because I was terrified of fireworks. It took my mum about twenty minutes to convince me to come out from under there, and about half an hour for me to stop crying. My poor parents.." 

"I was the absolute opposite. I literally used to run around the house screaming with excitement when I saw fireworks," Jorge laughed. He turned to his friend again. "Joachim, are you sure you're okay..?" 

"I'm fine, honestly." Joachim nodded, wiping his eyes. "None of this is your fault. You weren't to know that I'm afraid of clowns." 

"I still feel awful that I've scared you though. I really should have thought this through," Jorge sighed, handing him another tissue. "I'm so sorry, I really am." 

"I know," Joachim replied, "and as I said, it's not your fault. You don't need to beat yourself up over it.. promise. Please.. stop apologising." 

"What do you like..?" 

"In terms of what?" Joachim laughed. "Books? Sports? Because if you mean sports, you know that I like-" 

"Golf..? I never would have guessed," Jorge said sarcastically, and unlike he had done a few weeks ago, Joachim laughed, for he knew now that a lot of what Jorge said was just a joke. "No, I mean.. what Halloween characters do you like..?" 

Joachim shrugged, unsure what to say. 

"Favourite Halloween movie..?" 

"I.. I quite like the Addams family," Joachim twisted his hands together in his lap as he responded. 

"The Addams Family! What an iconic movie!" exclaimed Jorge, clapping his hands together before helping up his friend from the floor. "I have the perfect idea! Come right this way, Joachim, and prepare to be amazed at the talents of Jorge Alexis Gonzalez Madrigal Varona Vila!" 

Thirty minutes later, as they had a photo session in Jorge's bedroom - Jorge as Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean, Motsi as a devil, and Joachim as Uncle Fester - Joachim couldn't have been more grateful that he had friends who didn't mock him for being afraid of things. 

.. 

"Joachim," Jorge said severely, as he stood before his friend, who had just arrived for a sleepover, "I know that you replaced the book that I lent you. I know it's been replaced because my name was written in the front cover.." immediately Joachim cursed himself for not thinking of something as seemingly obvious as that, "and it isn't now. So come on.. what happened to the original book..?" 

"I.. I spilled tomato soup on it," Joachim confessed in a small voice, "the first day I had it." 

"And why, might I ask, did you lie to me, saying you were reading it..? Why couldn't you have just come to talk to me about it..?" Jorge's tone was cold. 

"I didn't want to upset you or make you think badly of me. So I bought a new book and hoped that you wouldn't realise. I'm sorry." 

Jorge sighed deeply, trying not to let his annoyance show. "Look, Joachim, thank you for telling me eventually. I appreciate that. But I don't like being lied to, okay? Even over something small like a book. You're one of my best friends, Joachim, and I should be able to trust you with anything - and if you lie to me, I won't be able to trust you anymore." 

Joachim looked away, his lip trembling. "I'm sorry." 

"It's okay. You're still my best friend and I still trust you. But you need to understand that lying is something that I really don't like. Being honest can be hard sometimes, but it's so important to be honest with people. And I can tell you now that people will respect you a lot more for having the courage to tell the truth rather than lie. If you had just told me the truth about the book and told me that you were going to replace it, I would have been a little bit annoyed, yes, but I would have thanked you for telling me. But now.. now I feel hurt because I've been lied to." 

"I'm really sorry, Jorge. I didn't mean to disrespect you or upset you." By now a few tears were rolling down Joachim's cheeks.. he felt so bad for upsetting his best friend. 

"Oh Joachim.. please don't be upset about it. I don't want you to be upset. I forgive you.. just please be more honest with me next time," Jorge told him softly. 

"I will be. I promise I'll be more honest in future," Joachim nodded, letting the Cuban pull him in for a hug. "I'm really so sorry, Jorge." 

"That's okay, Joachim," Jorge reassured him with a smile. "We all make mistakes. Now, let's move on from it and enjoy our sleepover, yeah..?" He gestured at the bed. "What do you say we watch a movie together..?" 

"Great idea," Joachim smiled, wiping his eyes, relieved he had been forgiven. "What shall we watch..?" 

"Whatever you like!" 

.. 

The day that Jorge and Motsi first came round to the Llambi household was the week before Joachim's 15th birthday, and Veronica and Markus spent the entire morning and afternoon cleaning the house and getting stuff ready to have a big paella for dinner. It was a Wednesday night, and Motsi had dancing straight after school, so it was agreed that she and Jorge would arrive at 6, have dinner, and then go home afterwards. 

When Joachim came home from school that day, Veronica was still cleaning the house. 

"Mum, you're still cleaning..? You know it's just my friends coming around tonight and not the King of Spain and his wife..?" 

"Joachim, this is a special occasion! Now, both your friends like paella, don't they..?" 

"Yes, Mum.." 

"And do they both speak Spanish..?" 

"Mum, Jorge is Cuban, so yes, he does. Motsi speaks Spanish, but she's only been doing it two years so she isn't very confident. She's fluent in German though." 

"And for dessert, I've made a chocolate cake. Do they both-" 

"Yes, Mum, they both love chocolate, before you ask!" Joachim laughed, though inside he was really touched at how hard his mum was trying and how much of an effort she was making. "And if you wanted to give them fruit as well with it, Jorge is addicted to bananas - bananas to Jorge are like what raisin bread is to me - and Motsi loves apples and grapefruit." 

At 6pm exactly, there was a knock on the door and immediately, Veronica and Markus sprung up from the sofa, walking to the door together with Joachim to greet the guests. 

"Hola! Hallo!" Jorge welcomed them, confidently. 

"Hola, Mrs Llambi. Hallo, Herr Llambi," Motsi beamed at her friend's parents. 

"Welcome in, both of you! And please call us Veronica and Markus," Veronica laughed, stepping aside to let them in. "It's great to finally meet you both - our Joachim talks so much about you both." 

"Oh, do you now?" Jorge teased Joachim, who immediately flushed red and looked down to the floor. 

"Well.. maybe sometimes." 

Jorge patted his shoulder. "I'm just teasing you, silly! Now, where's your room, Joachim..? I can't wait to see it!" 

Joachim laughed out loud. "It's upstairs, and I can assure you it's nothing exciting. Shall we go up there now..?" 

"We'll call you when dinner is ready, darling," Veronica told Joachim, and as the German-Spaniard headed upstairs with Jorge and Motsi following him, he looked down at where his parents were standing together, watching him. 

And he could honestly say it was the happiest he had ever seen them. 

.. 

By the end of December, almost four months after they first became friends, Joachim had grown so much in confidence. He still had moments where he doubted himself and lacked confidence - many of them, in fact - but he was so much more confident and happy in himself these days. Spending time around Jorge, who was the most positive and confident person he had ever met, and Motsi, who was also such a positive and happy person, had changed him so much. Everyone had noticed the difference- his parents, his teachers, Motsi and Joachim himself, and even his relatives in Barcelona and Duisberg. A little while back Joachim and his parents had done a facetime call with Veronica's parents, his grandparents, and they had commented on how much happier in himself he looked. 

But even though he had grown a lot in confidence, there was one thing that he still hadn't worked up the courage to tell his new friends about. 

His sexuality. 

He knew that neither Jorge nor Motsi was homophobic. Jorge revealed to the German-Spaniard about a week after they met in passing conversation that he was gay, and though Motsi was straight, she had several times expressed her support for the LGBT community. But he just didn't feel brave enough to tell them. He remembered the last time he felt he could trust somebody with knowing about his sexuality, and he had had that thrown back in his face. The last time he had properly come out to somebody had been when he came out to his parents, and that was emotional to say the least. He had been so upset, had been terrified they would hate him, but they had accepted him for who he was and reassured him that being bisexual was nothing to be ashamed of. 

It was on New Year's Eve that he finally decided to tell Jorge and Motsi, not wanting to keep this hidden from them any longer. When he awoke in the morning, he slowly typed out a message on the Notes App on his phone, wanting to get the wording perfect. After he finally finished, he read through the relatively short message over and over again, wondering if after he sent it, Jorge and Motsi really would still look at him the same way. 

Joachim 🇩🇪🇪🇸: Guys, as we have been friends for a few months now, there's something I feel I need to tell you and be honest with you about. But I want you to promise you'll keep this to yourselves - please don't tell anyone else. I don't want anyone else other than you two to know just yet. I'm so sorry I didn't tell you this before.. but the truth is, I'm bisexual. And I really hope that me telling you this doesn't change anything and that we can still be friends. 

He quickly sent it in their group chat, then logged out of his social media and turned his phone off, heading downstairs to spend some time with his family to distract himself. 

It wasn't until mid afternoon that he finally worked up the courage to look at their replies, but when he did, his eyes immediately filled with tears of relief. He was so touched by what they had written back. 

Jorge 👠: first off, mate, I just want to say how proud I am of you for telling us this. Thank you for being so honest with us! That must have taken a lot to say that and I'm really proud of you for having the courage to be so honest. Just so you know, I kinda figured from the start that you were. I'm quite good at sensing that kind of thing.. but I wanted you to come forward and tell us yourself because that's so important. I promise you that I won't tell anyone else - that's your thing to tell when you're ready and nobody else's - and I promise you that this doesn't change a thing.. and I'm still your best friend. Why would it change anything..? You like both boys and girls, and I like boys.. so what?! I love you for who you are, and your sexuality doesn't make me love you any less ❤

Motsi 💃🏿: oh Joachim !!! I'm genuinely so proud of you for telling us this !!! Jorge has said it all , your sexual orientation doesnt matter to us, ever !!! I love you for who you are and I always will . Youll always be my best friend . And of course I won't tell anyone ... as Jorge said that's your thing to tell people and not anyone else's !! And just so you know, when you DO decide to come out to everyone .. I will be there to support you all the way !!! Always be yourself and dont worry what anyone thinks of you - I love you SO much Joachim Llambi !!!!! ❤❤❤❤

A now tearful Joachim read their messages over and over again, unable to believe that he had been blessed with such amazing, supportive friends who really accepted him for who he was. With them, he was slowly learning that he didn't have to pretend, he didn't have to be somebody he wasn't. He didn't have to hide his love for golf. He didn't have to keep any of his likes and dislikes hidden for fear he would be mocked. And most significantly of all, he didn't have to stay in the closet when around his friends. 

And that night, when he and Motsi sat in a restaurant with his parents watching the fireworks and seeing in the New Year - Veronica had told him earlier that day he could invite a friend to keep him company, knowing how boring and awkward he sometimes found social gatherings - Joachim could not have been more grateful for the life that he had now and all the people he had in it. 

..

The last time Veronica had heard her son sobbing this much was on the day that they packed up all their stuff and moved across the country. 

Joachim had been acting weirdly since he arrived home - almost like he used to act before they moved. He had come home looking extremely sad, and refused to talk about anything, saying that he was exhausted and wanted to go up to his room for a rest. She had let him alone, only calling him when it was time for dinner. He had come downstairs and eaten his food, but then had told his mum that he didn't feel like sitting in the lounge with her and his dad to watch TV. This had greatly worried Veronica, and when she went upstairs half an hour later to see if he wanted anything, she had been stopped in her tracks by the sound of her son sobbing, sounding simply heartbroken. 

Not wanting to leave him alone whilst he was so upset, she slipped into the bedroom. She found him cuddled up on his bed in a little ball, cuddling his pillow, sobbing like he had done all those months ago when he was being bullied. Sitting down on the bed, she placed a hand on his heaving back and whispered "que pasa, cariño?" 

"Leave me alone!" Joachim burst out. "Just.. l-leave me alone, p-please.." 

Veronica didn't leave, rather helping him sit up and pulling him close for a cuddle. 

"I said, leave me alone!" Joachim shouted, sounding angry. Veronica however knew that he wasn't angry at her - rather, angry at himself and angry that she had found him crying like this. "Please, just get out and leave me alone!" 

"Hey, come on," Veronica whispered to her son in Spanish, pulling him closer, rubbing his back to try and calm him down. "Calm down. Calm down, darling. It's okay.." 

"It's not okay, Mum!" Joachim sobbed. "It's not okay! Jorge and Motsi want nothing to do with me anymore - and it's all my fault!" 

"Is everything okay in here?" Markus, who had heard Joachim shouting, put his head around the door. "Joachim.. are you okay..?" 

"I'm fine. Just get the hell out and leave me alone!" Joachim shouted. 

"Shhh," Veronica told him, putting her finger to her lips. "Markus, it's fine, honestly. I've got him." 

Markus nodded in understanding and left the room, leaving Veronica alone in the room with Joachim, holding him whilst he sobbed. 

"Okay, Joachim, I want you to calm down and talk to me about what's happened," the Spanish woman told her son, stroking her hand through his hair. "If you don't talk to me, I can't help you. That's it. Calm down. Now, tell me.. what's happened? You said it was something about Jorge and Motsi..?" 

"Yeah. They hate me and don't want anything to do with me anymore!" Joachim choked out, before beginning to sob again. 

"Hey, hey, calm down, darling. Talk to me. What's happened with the three of you..? I'm sure that whatever it is can't be that bad.. you'll be friends again in no time. Sometimes friends have arguments.." 

"We won't! They found out about what I did to Jason.. and now they hate me.. and I just hate myself so much for what I did," Joachim sobbed, barely able to breathe for the sobbing. 

When Veronica found out that her son outed another boy, she had been disappointed in him...very disappointed indeed. That was the worst thing for Joachim- he almost would rather have had both his parents scream at him and get really angry. Instead, they were just disbelieving and disappointed that he would do such a thing to somebody. Joachim still remembered the conversation that they had had about it, and what his parents had said, and it still hurt that he had disappointed them so much. 

"I'm sure they don't hate you, darling," the Spaniard told him, cuddling him closer, continuing to rub his back. "Yes, you did something very wrong in outing Jason, you know that. But it's in the past now. I'm sure they'll understand that it was a mistake you made and that you're truly sorry.. and go back to being your friends again. Just give them time to cool off and get their heads around it, yeah..?" 

"I really don't think they will ever be my friends again... Mum, you don't get it! Motsi and Jorge aren't just my best friends.. they're like the siblings I never had! Jorge was like my brother.. an annoying younger brother who could annoy me so much but at the same time I couldn't help but love.." Joachim let out a bitter laugh, "and Motsi was like my younger sister.. possibly the sweetest person I ever met. They were literally like my siblings.. and now.. now I've lost them.. and it hurts so much.. and they look at me like I'm something truly disgusting. And this is because I couldn't control myself two years ago and had to go and write on the whiteboard that my former best friend was gay. I... I just wish I could turn back time.. I hate myself.." 

Veronica was crying by this point as well, tears rolling down her cheeks as she cuddled Joachim close to her, unable to bear seeing him this upset. It felt almost like they had been transported back a year and a half where Joachim would routinely come home and lay on his bed crying like this. 

"Hey, hey, come on. Calm down," she whispered, knowing that she was never going to be able to have a rational conversation with him until he was calm again. "Calm down, darling. It's okay. It's okay.. shhh." 

Joachim tried really hard to stop crying, but for a good half hour he failed, continuing to sob. And as the sixteen year old lay there being cuddled by his mum, he couldn't stop thinking about how because of his own actions, he had lost the two people who were like siblings to him. 

And he was never going to get them back. 

..

"What was he upset about..?" Markus asked his wife, when she came downstairs a long while later. Joachim was finally asleep upstairs, worn out from crying, having had a good long talk with Veronica. He had finally managed to get everything off of his chest, and though he didn't feel any better about the situation, he fell asleep quite quickly. 

"Jorge and Motsi found out about what he did to Jason, and they've all fallen out," the Spaniard explained in a low voice. "So he's really upset about that and really hating himself for what he did. I just tried to reassure him that they're probably just shocked to find out what happened and that they'll be friends with him again soon enough." 

Markus slipped his cappuccino before simply replying, "Poor thing." 

"I knew something wasn't right when he came home from school today," Veronica continued, turning off the TV seeing as neither of them were watching it. She lowered her voice even more, so that if Joachim woke up, he wouldn't hear that they were talking about him and what had happened. "He just didn't seem himself. I was right." 

"So they found out about.. about what he wrote on the board..?" 

Veronica nodded. "Yep. And they seem to be really shocked and angry about it . I just tried to reassure him that when we are angry or upset, we don't make good decisions and say things that we don't really mean. I reminded him how he used to snap a lot when he was really not happy and how he never meant what he said to us.. oh, Joachim. Are you okay..? What are you doing up, my darling..?" 

"Just getting some water," the German-Spaniard replied in a dull tone, heading into the kitchen and filling up the water bottle that he kept in his room. Screwing the lid on tightly, he came back into the living room, standing before both his parents. 

"Mum.. Dad.. before I go back to bed, I just wanted to say that I'm really sorry," he said sincerely, a sad look on his face. "For shouting at you and telling you to leave me alone. I'm really sorry for being so nasty." 

Veronica smiled and held out her arms. "It's okay, darling. We understand.. you were just really upset, that's all. And that's not surprising, after what happened today." 

"I know I was.. but that's still no excuse," Joachim said sadly, as he was pulled into another cuddle. "I'm really sorry." 

"It's okay, darling. Thank you for your apology," Veronica reassured him, hugging him close, thinking back to the apology he had given them about four weeks after he met Motsi and Jorge. "I love you." 

"Mum..? Dad..? Sorry to interrupt - could I talk to you both, please..?" Joachim appeared in the doorway, twisting his hands together, nervous about what he had to say. 

"You're not interrupting, darling. We can finish this whenever," Veronica responded as she paused the movie they were watching. "What's the matter..? Are you okay..?" 

"Yeah, I'm okay. I just wanted to say sorry.. for all the nasty things I've said these last few months to you both. And for being so rude all the time. And for.. for slamming doors and shouting and just being so horrible. I'm so sorry and even though I was upset and didn't know how to deal with my emotions, that doesn't mean I should have taken it out on my family. I'm so so sorry.." by the end, Joachim was sobbing into his hands, and Veronica got up and gently took his arm, leading him over to the sofa. There, she pulled him into a huge hug and began to gently stroke her hand up and down his back, letting him sob. 

"It's okay, baby. We've forgiven you," Veronica said softly. "We understand how difficult it was for you and we forgive you. And we love you so much." 

"Really..?" 

"Of course! You're our baby - our only baby - and no matter what you do wrong, you always will be. We'll always love you. Hey." 

"I'm just so sorry.." 

"It's okay, my darling. As we said, we understand why you acted like that.. and we accept your apology. And we still love you more than anything.. we always will," Veronica reassured him, gently rubbing his back. 

"Your mum's right, son. Nothing in this world could stop us loving you," Markus told him softly. "We're just so glad that you are happier now and doing so much better." 

"I am," Joachim nodded, thinking of his two new friends. "I'm doing much better."

"And we're so happy to see that." Veronica kissed the top of his head. "Come on now, don't cry any more, baby. It's okay. I forgive you.. and I love you so much." 

"And I love you too," Joachim wept, feeling so grateful they had accepted his apology, but still so guilty that he had done some of what he did. 

"Things will get better, Joachim. Things will be okay between you and your friends again - it just might take some time," Markus told his son. 

Joachim shook his head. "I really don't think that they will. But thank you, Dad. I.. i appreciate it." 

"You'll see. I'm sure things will get better." 

"Exactly. They might just need some time to cool off, that's all." Veronica gently patted his back. "Right, darling, I think you should go back to bed. It's getting really late and you have school tomorrow.. you need your sleep." 

"Do I have to go?" Joachim sighed dully. "I really don't want to." 

"I'm afraid you do. It's important you don't miss any school if you can help it.. you have big exams in a few months and you need to attend all classes." 

Joachim sighed once more. "Fine, I'll go. Goodnight, Mum. Goodnight, Dad. Love you." 

"Love you too, son. Sleep well." 

"Sleep well, my darling. I love you so much," Veronica called after Joachim as he headed up the stairs to bed, looking so worn-out and sad, with only one sentence going through his head. 

I hate myself.


	34. out of my life

"Jorge.. you know, I really think we should try and make friends with Joachim again.." Motsi began rather hesitantly, as they sat together at breaktime on their usual bench, eating their snacks. 

It had been a long and challenging morning, in which they had had to do a maths past paper in exam conditions, and most of the students had really struggled with the questions. They had all been extremely relieved to get out of the classroom finally and head out into the playground and have something to eat. 

And what made Motsi really sad to see was her former best friend sitting on a bench all alone with nobody to talk to, like he had done when he first came to the school. She wasn't at all happy to hear what he had done to Jason before he moved schools, but at the same time, she could kind of understand it. She knew that when people were angry like Joachim had obviously been that day, they reacted in an irrational way. And she and Joachim had so many wonderful memories together as friends. From their regular sleepovers to their phone and text conversations that could last for hours, from celebrating their birthdays together to the school trips they had been on, there were so many wonderful memories they had made together in their eighteen months of friendship and she didn't want to completely lose the boy she considered one of her best friends, even if he really had done wrong. 

Jorge, who was still annoyed with the German-Spaniard and already in a bad mood today thanks to having failed the maths paper miserably, looked at his friend with an infuriated expression. 

"How about absolutely not..?" 

"Jorge.. look, he made one mistake. I know he did something really wrong.. and I'm not defending what he did.. but I don't want to throw away my friendship with him simply because of one thing that he did wrong in the past." 

"Motsi, he didn't make a mistake! He made a choice, and that's entirely different. A mistake is something like knocking a vase off a table accidentally or spilling tomato soup over a book your friend lent you," Jorge referenced the incident from just over a year ago. "He made a choice to out Jason, and then he made a choice to lie to us after I specifically told him that I don't like being lied to.. and if you think that I'm going to forgive him for all that, then you're absolutely wrong." 

"But-" 

"No buts, Motshegetsi! If you want to go and be best friends with him, then feel free to do so. Just don't expect me to hang out with you both and act like he didn't do something wrong." 

Motsi sighed, looking over at Joachim once again, who immediately turned away from her, bowing his head. The truth was, losing his two best friends had really affected the German-Spaniard. He had reverted back to going home every night and crying alone in his room, like he did when he was back at his old school. He always tried to be quiet about it, but both Veronica and Markus knew it was happening, and it really hurt to see him unhappy again. Sometimes, Veronica would put her head around the door to check if he was okay just as she was coming upstairs to go to bed, and she would find him asleep in bed, cuddling his pillow. And it would always be evident by his flushed, tear stained cheeks that he had cried himself to sleep.

Joachim wished like anything that he could do something to change the situation - but he doubted that anything would ever get better between him, Jorge and Motsi. He felt as though even if he went down on his knees and gave the most sincere apology ever, Jorge would still refuse his friendship at the moment. It hurt so much knowing that two people he had once been so close to now didn't want to know him, and even more knowing that it was all his fault. He very well knew that had he not done what he did to Jason, the three of them would still be as close as ever. 

"Look, I'm sorry, okay..?" Jorge said in rather a guilty tone. "I'm sorry.. I didn't mean to have a go at you. I'm not angry with you.. I never am. I just.. I'm just so furious at him." 

"It's okay.. I get it," Motsi reassured him. She knew that her friend was more hurt than anything right now, hurt that Joachim had turned out to be someone they never expected him to be. And she understood that, much as she did think Jorge was being unnecessarily harsh on the German-Spaniard. "Trust me.. I don't agree with what he did at all and I'm really annoyed at him for what he did.. but at the same time I do think that we maybe should try and make friends with him again." 

"I just don't understand why after I specifically told him that I hate being lied to, he went and lied to me," Jorge said bitterly. "I specifically told him that the one thing I hate is when my friends lie to me, and he couldn't even have the courage to be honest with me about himself." He sighed deeply, before changing the subject. "Anyway, before I waste the entire breaktime talking about my former best friend.. have you done the Spanish homework? Do you want me to look at it for you..?" 

"I've done it.. but I'm not sure how good it is," replied Motsi, fishing her red exercise book out of her bag and opening it on the correct page. They had had to write a 150-word essay about their dream home for homework, and Motsi had written about how she still wanted to live near her family, and how she wanted to live somewhere with a garden so she could sit in it in the summer when it was hot. Jorge read through the essay quickly, a smile on his face. 

"Chica, this is really good!" he praised her, handing it back to her. "Only two things I noticed that are wrong - conservatorio doesn't mean conservatory. It means a music academy.. change that to galería. And sótano is a basement.. not a living room like I presume you meant.. the word for living room is salón. Apart from that though, you've done really well!" 

"Thank you!" Motsi beamed, taking out a blue pen from her collection and changing the two things Jorge had suggested she should change. 

"You're more than welcome, chica! As I keep on telling you, you can speak Spanish, much as you always doubt yourself and think that you can't" Jorge told her, patting her on the shoulder, as the bell rang to signify the end of break. 

... 

That evening, just as Jorge finished up revision for the day, his phone rang. Getting up from his chair, he headed over to his bed and fished it out quickly from under his duvet. He always hid it underneath the duvet covers when he was revising, so that he wouldn't be tempted to keep using it, and only had message and call notifications on for his parents, Motsi, Pablo, and once upon a time, Joachim. Picking it up, he grinned to see that his older brother was calling him. 

Sitting back down at the desk, he answered the call. 

"Hola, hermano!" Pablo said in his usual cheerful tone of voice, smiling broadly as his face flooded onto the screen. "¿Estás bien?" 

"I'm good.. I've just finished revising," replied Jorge in Spanish.

"That's what I like to hear! What have you been studying tonight..? Maths..?" 

"No way. I did enough of that over the weekend and had a rotten two hour past paper to complete under exam conditions this morning! Whoever thought double maths on a Monday was a good idea needs to get their head checked. Actually, I studied English." 

"How did the past paper go..?" 

"Let's not talk about it. All I'm saying is, I failed. I just don't feel like I'm making any progress with maths at all." 

"What grade did you get..? Go on.. tell me." 

"A 2. That's an E." 

"Which is one grade better than you got in December! You've gone up one whole grade, Jorgito.. that's amazing! Oh, hermano, look at me!" Pablo cried. "It's only been a month since Sebastian started coming in! You'll get there eventually, I promise, and you will get that pass in the summer." 

"I hope so.." Jorge sighed. He was usually positive about these kind of things but it was so hard to be positive about maths sometimes. "I really don't want to have to resit.. but at the moment I fear that's what I'm heading towards. Anyway, how are you..?" 

Pablo waved the plate of pasta salad he was eating at the camera. "I'm fine. Just on my lunch break - which I'm glad of. It's been a busy day at the restaurant... which is good, of course, because it means we get more money. But I'm exhausted." He chuckled.

"Have you got a day off any time soon..?" 

"Yeah, in about two weeks! Which will be good - I've already made plans to go and meet José.. we're going to go out on a boat for the day," Pablo responded, which made Jorge smile. He immediately thought about when they were in Cuba in the summer, and he, Pablo and their parents went out on a boat for the day and were joined by José. José was Pablo's best friend, the one that had trained to be a fashion designer. He had graduated, and he now worked successfully designing clothes like he had wanted to do since he was really young and watched his mami making a dress for herself. When Alejandro finally understood that fashion was what made the younger of the two Gonzalez sons happy, and started accepting Jorge for who he was, it had made Jorge feel so much better. But he had still been slightly insecure about his dreams, because of the kids at school in Germany calling him weird and freaky, and Pablo was well aware that his younger brother felt this way. Though Jorge didn't always tell him about it, Pablo knew that there were people bringing his little brother down, and it hurt. And so when Jorge had come to Cuba that summer with their mum and dad, the Gonzalez family had gone for a day out with José, and the young man had had a long talk with Jorge about fashion designing and the importance of following his dreams. Jorge still remembered almost every word of the conversation his thirteen year old self had had with José, and he was still so grateful to his fellow Cuban for helping him gain the confidence to be who he wanted to be. 

"Hey.. What are you smiling about..?" 

"Just thinking about the day out we had with Mami, Papi and José last summer. And the conversation that José had with me when he first found out that I wanted to be a fashion designer." 

Pablo smiled as well. "That was a wonderful day, wasn't it? And I'm so glad that he spoke to you about that. Because I know that it really helped you be as confident as you are now." 

"It really did," Jorge agreed, nodding. 

"You know, I'm so excited for you to come back to Cuba in the summer, hermano. We're going to have the best time! Anyway, enough about me and what I'm doing. Apart from revising, what have you been up to..? Have you been hanging out with your friends..?" 

The smile was immediately wiped off Jorge's face at that final word. 

Friends. 

"I've been hanging out with my friend, yes." 

Pablo's expression was one of confusion. Jorge had yet to tell him about the Joachim situation. "What do you-" 

"Joachim is no longer my friend," answered Jorge, curtly. 

"What do you mean..? Have you guys had an argument over something..? Oh Jorge, that happens sometimes. I'm sure you'll be friends again in no time-"

"No, we will not!" Jorge burst out, the anger flaring again. "We only went and found out the other day that he went and outed somebody at his old school! And he's been lying to me for months over this! And I'm so sorry, but you know how I feel about lying, and I don't want to be friends with somebody who can't look me in the eyes and be truthful!" 

The shock on Pablo's face was evident. It was clear he had not expected his younger brothe to come out with that. He had only met Joachim the one time, at the Christmas choir concert, but from what he had seen (and heard through Jorge) Joachim was a shy, extremely caring person. Not at all the kind of person who would out somebody. 

"I made a new friend today!" Jorge beamed as he answered the phone call from his older brother. 

"That's wonderful, hermano! What's their name..?" 

"His name's Joachim.. Joachim Llambi" responded Jorge, with the same huge smile on his face. "He's from Germany - Duisberg. He's really, really shy, and doesn't talk that much, but he's a lovely person and I think he's just one of those people it takes a while to get to know. I'm hoping that when I introduce him to Motsi tomorrow, we can all be friends." 

"He sounds lovely, hermano! Hopefully everything will go well with him and Motsi. Was she not in school today..?" 

Jorge shook his head. "No.. she was away today, but she'll be back tomorrow. I just felt so sorry for him.. he's been sitting alone every single break and lunch since he arrived at the school at the start of term. He-" he continued to talk about his new friend, a huge smile on his face, and Pablo sat and listened avidly. 

And at the end of the school week, when they next called one another, Jorge told Pablo of how his plan to introduce Motsi properly to Joachim and to have all three of them become best friends had indeed been successful. 

That was the first impression that Pablo had been given of the German-Spaniard, and until today, he had heard nothing but good things about him. How kind and thoughtful he was; how much fun it was at his house; how good he was at golf. Yes, he knew well about what had happened with the book defaced with soup, and knew that Joachim had lied to Jorge over that, but he remembered well the message Jorge sent him about that that night. 

Jorge 👠: I'll tell you now, I was quite hurt by him lying to me about it - but it's all in the past now. I had a little chat with him about how I don't like it when people lie to me and how I won't be able to trust him anymore if he isn't always honest with me.. and he's promised to be Honest with me from now on. All is good ❤

And Joachim had, to Pablo, seemed such a genuine person who would never set out to deliberately upset his friends. Especially doing something that he had been spoken to about once before. 

He genuinely had not expected this revelation. 

"Joachim outed somebody..? Joachim Llambi? Are you sure..?" 

"Yeah, I'm bloody sure that it was him.. he admitted it eventually, after it all came out - excuse the pun, that was totally unintended. And get this - it was Jason he outed!" 

"Jason..?" Pablo almost choked on the smoothie that he was drinking. "Jason..? You mean, Jason as in the one that is constantly horrible to Joachim..? The one you're always talking about?" 

Jason was another person that was mentioned frequently in Jorge and Pablo's phone and text conversations, but mostly for all the wrong reasons. Usually, when he was mentioned, it was because Jorge was sounding off about him. 

Jorge 👠: I'm sorry, but I'm absolutely furious at him! I don't actually care about having to go to detention on Monday, but I do care that that dick thinks it's okay to mock my best friend when he's obviously embarrassed about falling over and having to borrow my clothes! It was so obvious he wasn't comfortable wearing my clothes - which is perfectly okay, I get it, my style is something you either love or hate and it's not his thing - and so mocking him and laughing at him is just so low and ughhh.. IM JUST SO ANGRY RIGHT NOW I CANT EVEN THINK STRAIGHT

Jorge 👠: but then again... how can I think straight when I'm not? 🤔

Jorge 👠: BUT THATS BESIDE THE POINT PABLO IM SO FURIOUS 

"Yeah, I mean that Jason." Jorge sighed, deciding that it would make much more sense to his older brother if he just told him the whole story of what had happened. "Do you remember how I told you that Jason came to Craig's party with us..?" 

Pablo nodded. "Uh-huh." 

"Well, when we were playing Just Dance together, Jason made fun of Joachim for leaving dance classes after making one mistake - which was him throwing up on stage, like I told you about. And they had a big argument, and Jason shouted, 'Well, how about we talk about what you took away from me? How about the way that before you left the school, you crept into the classroom before anyone got there-' before he got cut off. Joachim looked terrified at the prospect of him finishing that sentence, and I asked him about what Jason meant, but he said that it was just Jason trying to cause trouble by lying." The younger Cuban snorted. "It was actually Joachim that was lying. Oh, how I wish I hadn't just taken his word for it. Craig, who has been hanging out a lot with Jason recently, was dumped by his boyfriend Jonathan and he had a massive argument with Jason and now is no longer friends with him. Anyway, to cut this long story short, we found out that Joachim was outed by Jason, who was pressured by some boy at their old school to reveal. They used to be best friends you see. Joachim then on his last day at that school wrote on the whiteboard that Jason was gay.. and then left. The difference is - though I still don't like Jason exactly, he was literally manipulated into it. Joachim made the conscious choice. So excuse me, Pablo, if I don't want to be friends with that boy anymore. I'm still friends with Motsi, she's my best friend and sister for life, but I don't want to be friends with someone like Joachim any more." 

"Wait.." Pablo began, trying to make sense of everything that Jorge had just confessed, "Joachim was outed by Jason..?" 

"Yeah, but Jason was manipulated. Joachim made a choice. He wasn't pressured into anything - he made that choice himself." 

"Jorge.. look, I know that you're angry at him right now.. but it was a while ago he.." 

Jorge scoffed, "what, are you asking me to forgive him and be best friends with him again? I'm sorry, Pablo, but it's not happening. Not only did he out someone, and you know how close to home that is for me, seeing as I nearly got outed, he lied to me when I asked him what Jason was talking about, and wouldn't even tell me himself what happened with Jason. Jason had to reveal everything. I can't be friends with somebody like that - I've cut him out of my life." 

Pablo sighed, knowing that at the moment, his brother wasn't going to listen to him. At times, especially when he was angry and hurt over something like this, he was literally impossible to get through to. Deciding to leave the conversation for now, but return to it at a later date when he was feeling a bit calmer, he changed the subject. 

"Anyway, what are your plans for the weekend..?" 

"Maths tutoring with Sebastian, unfortunately," Jorge sounded a lot less annoyed, "and on Sunday, Motsi's coming around to revise Spanish with me. She's getting on so much better with it now, especially after she did so well in her presentation in front of the class, but she's still doubting herself a lot and comparing herself. And that makes me so sad because I just want her to realise how amazing she is." 

"Bless her. I remember you telling me she did really well-" 

"She really did! She doesn't give herself nearly enough credit for how good she really is at Spanish, especially considering the short time she's actually been learning it." Jorge smiled a smile of pride as he thought about Motsi. "I'm so proud of her and all she's currently achieving." 

"She really seems to be doing so well. And learning a new language deserves massive respect in my opinion," Pablo replied. "How are Mami and Papi?" 

"They're fine. At home it's all been pretty uneventful if I'm honest.. Mami and Papi go to work, I go to school, we come home, I revise, we have dinner, then we watch some television and then we all go to bed. Normal. It's just.. it's just at school that things have been utterly insane." 

"It does sound like you've had a pretty eventful few weeks," Pablo agreed, glad to hear that his parents were doing okay. He really did miss his family - though he absolutely adored Cuba and thanked his lucky stars he got to wake up every day in such a beautiful place with wonderful people and go and do a job he loved, he missed his family with all his heart. It felt like way too long till he would next see them. 

Jorge snorted at his older brother's statement. 

"You can say that again."


	35. proud of you

The one and only thing that was making Joachim happy currently was dancing three times a week, and his classes only made him properly happy when he was actually dancing. When he wasn't dancing, he couldn't help but think about the fact that Motsi was just a few rooms away - Motsi, the person who had convinced him that coming back to dance would be a good idea. Motsi, who used to be one of his friends. 

The other dancers soon noticed that Joachim wasn't okay - and that he spent a lot of his breaks sitting there looking sadly out the door - but none of them were quite sure how to ask him what was up. It was Sofia that took it upon herself to ask in the end - the girl who was now his dancing partner. The two of them had been paired together to dance at a show at the end of April, and as well as appearing in a couple of group dances they were going to be dancing a freestyle to a medley of two songs from the musical Sweet Charity - those being Big Spender and If My Friends Could See Me Now. Rehearsing was actually going really well, and the two of them were really enjoying learning and practicing the routine together. 

Joachim and Sofia actually got on pretty well, and they had begun talking to one another a little bit more outside of dance classes, striking up a friendship. It turned out that the Russian was actually even more shy than Joachim, and that they had quite a few things in common apart from their obvious shared love for dancing. But even though Joachim very much liked the girl, and was extremely grateful for the friendship that was blossoming between them, he couldn't help but miss Motsi and Jorge more than anything. 

He missed Jorge's sarcasm and jokes, the way that he made everything fun without trying, the way he was always so positive about everything. He missed the way Jorge would always be the first person to defend his name, the way that he would message Joachim at random times about random things, the way he always teased him. Heavens, he even missed Jorge turning up for their sleepovers with way too much stuff. He missed the way Motsi would always listen to him, and try and advise him if he had a problem. He missed the phone conversations they would have that could last hours. He missed the way Motsi would always send him random memes that never failed to make him laugh. He missed the company of Jonathan and Craig as well, though losing Motsi and Jorge had definitely been much harder - they had been so much closer than Joachim had been to either Jonathan or Craig. Those two didn't exactly hate him, but he never saw them anymore - Jonathan always spent his breaktimes and lunchtimes in the library studying, and Craig, like Joachim himself, spent his breaktimes and lunchtimes sitting alone, either staring into space or pretending to be very busy on his phone to avoid talking to anyone. Joachim knew theoretically he probably could have gone and talked to Craig, but he felt too awkward to, and worried Craig would reject his attempts to be friends. Because so much had happened over the last few months to them all. Jorge and Motsi had gone back to just being friends with each other. Craig had made a new best friend, who he had been so close to for months, and now he didn't even talk to that boy anymore. Jason had made a new best friend, and now he had stopped being friends with that person, going back to now spending all his time with Ashley. Craig was no longer even on speaking terms with the boy that he had once upon a time considered to be "the one", despite their young age. Jonathan was alone. 

And Joachim was alone. 

He missed them so much. And he wished that he hadn't made the mistakes he had had.. maybe that way, he wouldn't have lost the two best friends he had ever had. 

During their next break, Sofia grabbed her water bottle before sitting down next to the German-Spaniard, announcing her presence with a quiet hello. Joachim jumped half out of his skin before smiling and saying "oh, hey, Sofia. Sorry." 

"Don't be," Sofia replied with a smile. "Joachim.. are you okay..? It's just.. I've noticed that you've not been yourself recently at all, and I wondered if you were all right." 

"No.. not really," answered Joachim, still staring out of the door. 

"Do you want to talk to someone about it..? I know we haven't known each other that long, but I'm more than happy to listen," Sofia told him, in such a kind tone that the German-Spaniard was extremely touched. 

"Basically.." he lowered his voice, deciding he could talk to her, "I.. I fell out with my two best friends not long ago. And.. it was because of a past mistake I made that they found out about, and now they don't even want to speak to me. And.. and I just really miss the friendship we had." 

"Oh. I'm really sorry," Sofia said with a sad look on her face. If she was curious to know what the past mistake was, she didn't show her curiosity, instead choosing to ask, "is it.. is one of them Motsi? The one who used to come to find you after dance class..?" 

Joachim nodded. "Yeah. And the other one is Jorge, who doesn't come to dancing." 

"That really sucks. Losing a friend is really hard.. I'm sorry." Sofia sounded slightly awkward as she spoke. "You know.. past mistakes don't define you." 

Joachim didn't say anything, on the account of the fact he didn't know what to say. 

"Just because you made one mistake.. it doesn't make you a bad person," Sofia clarified with a comforting smile on her face. "We all make mistakes and do things we regret. I'm not going to ask you what the mistake was, because it's none of my business, but all I'll say is this - you aren't a bad person. And even if your friends are upset or angry right now, I'm sure things will get better." 

Ever since Jorge and Motsi stopped talking to him, Veronica and Markus had been telling him one thing - that being that things would get better. That was what Veronica said every night when she went in to comfort him whilst he was upset and crying - that things would get better and that his friends would one day forgive him. He didn't believe what they said - he couldn't see him, Jorge and Motsi ever being friends again - but it did comfort him to hear those words nonetheless. 

"Thank you.." Joachim said softly, tears filling his eyes like they had done so often the past few weeks. "I'm not sure how likely that is.. but.." 

"It will. I'm sure things will get better," the Russian girl reassured him. "Besides, I'm sure you couldn't have done anything that bad.. you're too nice!" 

That comment broke Joachim's heart. He wasn't too nice at all. He had been so horrible to somebody who had once been his best friend.. he had done one of the most unforgivable things you could ever do to someone. Those weren't the actions of somebody who was too nice. 

Sensing that the German-Spaniard was upset, Sofia leaned over and hugged him close, which surprised him a little. 

"Don't be upset," she said softly. "I'm sure things will get better soon." 

Joachim shook his head sadly. 

"I'm sure they will!" Sofia repeated, with a smile on her face. "Please don't be upset. Hey, do you want to come and get some ice cream with me after dancing? I often go after dancing, so my mum won't mind." 

"That would be lovely," Joachim tried to smile, though his eyes still swam with tears. "I'll text my mum and ask.. but she shouldn't have any problems with it." 

He took out his phone and sent his mum a quick message, reading: would it be okay if I went out to get some ice cream with Sofia at the shopping centre after dancing? I'll keep you updated on what we are doing. As he pressed send, they were called to begin dancing again, and he tucked his phone back in his bag, before stepping back out into the centre to continue practicing their routines. 

The second half of dancing class went really well, and when the time came for Joachim and Sofia to practice their routine together, they managed to get through it without a single mistake. Their instructor was extremely impressed with their progress, and everyone else clapped and cheered, which temporarily made Joachim feel so happy. He couldn't believe that he was worried that the people at dancing wouldn't like him or would make fun of him - they were some of the most supportive people he had met and even if he wasn't close with them all, they all were so lovely. 

"I think we did really well there," Joachim smiled at Sofia, and the Russian girl agreed, nodding her head. 

The session ended with one last run through of the group dance and a cool down, and then everyone went to get changed out of their workout clothes. As soon as he was changed back into the casual grey t-shirt and jeans that he arrived in, Joachim checked his phone, seeing he had a message from his mum. 

Mum ❤👜: sí, cariño, por supuesto! Envíame un mensaje cuando estés listo para volver a casa, y conduciré para recogerte xx

Hijo favorito 🏌️♂️: vale. ¡Hasta pronto! Te quiero mucho. Xx

"Mum said it's fine for me to come with you, and she'll drive to get me when we're finished," Joachim caught up with Sofia, who had changed back into her original clothes - a black woolly jumper and leather trousers. 

"Perfect!" Sofia smiled, as they said goodbye to everyone and thanked them for a great dancing session. "Let's go then." 

And with a smile from Joachim, the two of them headed out the door. 

.. 

"So, how long have you liked golf..?" Joachim questioned, as he and Sofia neared the shopping centre, exhausted but in quite high spirits. "A long time or..?" 

"About four years," replied the Russian girl, untying her hair from the short plait that it had been tied in all day. Running her fingers through it, she continued, "I went with my stepbrother one day - he's quite the golfer - and ended up really loving it." 

"That's really cool! You have a stepbrother..?" 

"Three, actually. But they're all a lot older than me - the youngest is 25 and the oldest is nearly 35 - and they all live in Russia. So really, it's like being an only child. How did you get into golf, exactly?" 

"I'm an only child, you know." 

"Are you..?" 

"Yeah. My parents only ever wanted one child.. and that was me. And both my parents love golf - it's how they met, funnily enough. So they started taking me when I was really young and although I thought it would be really boring at first, I love it now." 

"Your parents met golfing?" 

"Yeah!" Joachim laughed. "They saw each other on the course quite often and then one thing led to another, really." 

"That's a great way to meet! I'm not actually sure how my parents met," Sofia replied, taking out her phone from her pocket, which had just buzzed. "Sorry, that's just my mum sending me a picture. Inside joke. I was so happy when you said you liked golf, you know. I don't know many people my age that like it." 

"Me neither! We did a mini golf session for my sixteenth birthday a few months ago, and my friends went along and played, but I wouldn't say they are exactly golf fans." Joachim thought back to his sixteenth, where he had been so happy. He remembered the way Jorge had been so sure of his golfing talents, turned out to be utterly atrocious and then blamed everything he could think of on his failure to win. It just made him so sad to think of it now - the time when he had still been friends with the best friends he had ever had, before everything "came out". 

"When was your birthday..?" Sofia inquired. 

"Last week of November. When's yours? I just realised I never asked." 

"15th September. I'm sixteen.. So I'm two months older than you." As they entered the shopping centre together, Sofia was cut off by a group of girls waving in her direction. 

"Who are they..?" 

"Some girls from my class at school. Hi, girls!" Sofia approached the little group with Joachim following close behind her. 

"We didn't expect to see you here. I thought you always went dancing on Saturdays?" 

"I've been dancing all morning! So I've come to get some ice cream with Joachim. Joachim, these are some girls from my year at school - Lexi, Amy and Charlotte. Lexi, Amy, Charlotte.. this is Joachim, who comes to dancing with me." 

"Nice to meet you! Do you two want to come shopping with us..?" The girl who had been introduced as Lexi asked. 

"We would, but we have to get home straight after our ice cream," Sofia said in a rather apologetic tone, before winking at Joachim. It wasn't the truth at all - the truth was that Sofia knew exactly how much the German-Spaniard disliked shopping, especially clothes shopping, and didn't want to put him through that. 

"Fair enough. See you around, Sofia!" the girls chorused, before walking in the direction of the clothes stores, leaving Joachim and Sofia alone together again. 

"Thank you," Joachim said quietly, realising what she had done that for. "But you can go with them if you want.. I don't mind." 

"No way," Sofia replied firmly. "I'm here with you, and I'm not going to just abandon you in the middle of the shopping centre. And anyway, if I'm honest.. I don't actually like clothes shopping that much. I don't mind it.. but there are other things I prefer." 

Joachim smiled at her when she made that comment, and she smiled back at him as they reached the ice cream stand. After a short period of deliberation, Joachim chose two scoops of chocolate ice cream and Sofia two scoops of vanilla. Joachim personally could never understand why somebody would just eat vanilla, with no sauce or anything, but he didn't say anything about it openly. Paying the charming young lady behind the counter, the two friends walked off, walking around the open space, eating their ice creams together and chatting about whatever came into their heads. 

"Mum said that she's coming down to pick me up in about an hour, because she has to come to get some stuff from the supermarket, and that she'd like to meet you," Joachim said, checking his phone as soon as his ice cream had disappeared. 

"It would be nice to finally put a face to her as well," Sofia agreed, with a smile, and Joachim immediately texted Veronica back, telling her they would meet her outside the supermarket and that Sofia would be with him. 

"Only question -" the Russian began, "is your mum the Spanish or German one..?" 

Joachim laughed at the way she said it. "Mum's Spanish - she's from Barcelona. Dad's German - he's actually from Frankfurt, but I was born in Duisberg." 

"Okay. I'm not.. I'm not great at Spanish," Sofia admitted really shyly. "I know a few words.. but not really enough to have a conversation." 

"That's okay!" Joachim reassured her. "Mum speaks fluent German as well, due to having lived in Germany for so many years and marrying a German.. and she speaks pretty good English as well. Not fluent, but pretty good." He chuckled. "You know.. if I ever meet your family.. I don't speak any Russian at all. Apart from the words hello and no, I have no idea how to speak Russian." 

"They speak decent English, it's okay! Although if you wanted to learn a few Russian phrases, I'd be more than happy to teach you." 

"That could be cool," Joachim laughed, throwing his ice cream cup into the bin next to him. "Now, seeing as we have an hour before my mum gets here.. how about we go and do a bit of shopping..? I know a great place we could go." 

The great place Joachim was talking about was of course the sports shop, where they immediately went to start looking at the golfing stuff. They spent a very content hour looking around, having a very golf centred conversation, until Joachim felt a hand touch his shoulder. He turned around in fright, instantly reassured to see that his mum was standing there with a smile on her face. 

"I thought I'd find you both in here," she smiled. 

"How did you guess that?" Joachim joked, before stepping aside and gesturing to the girl beside him. "Mum, this is Sofia. Sofia, this is my mum." 

"Hola, Señora Llambi. Lo siento, mi español no es muy bueno" said Sofia apologetically. 

"That was really good!" Veronica smiled at her encouragingly, switching to English. She always had the biggest respect for those who tried to speak a language they weren't confident in speaking. "It's lovely to meet you, Sofia.. and please, call me Veronica." 

"Hi, Veronica," Sofia smiled shyly. "It's lovely to meet you too." 

"Have you guys had a nice time today..?" Veronica asked, as they followed her out the shop to the supermarket, where she wanted to pick up some stuff for dinner. 

"We did! Rehearsals went well," replied Joachim, speaking to his mum in English as he tended to do when he was around friends that didn't speak Spanish, "and we had some ice cream just now, which was lovely."

"That sounds great!" Veronica smiled, as they entered the busy supermarket, paying the 1 pound necessary to get a trolley. "I'm glad you had a great time. Are tickets for your show going on sale soon..?" 

Joachim nodded. "I think in the next few weeks. I'll let you know when they do." 

"Yes, please do let me know - we'll be wanting to get our tickets! We're both really excited to see you dance!" 

"Joachim, I need to go now," Sofia broke Joachim's little reverie, an apologetic smile on her face. "It was lovely meeting you, Veronica." 

"Lovely meeting you too, Sofia! Hopefully we'll see you again soon," Veronica smiled, beginning to push her groceries towards the checkout, having easily found what she wanted to buy.

"Thank you for a lovely day.. and thank you for suggesting an ice cream," Joachim lowered his voice, walking with the Russian girl a few feet behind his mum. "I do feel a bit better now.. Thank you." 

"Ice cream always makes me feel better," Sofia smiled. "And you're welcome, Joachim.   
It's my pleasure. I'm glad you're feeling better." 

She gave him a quick hug before saying one last goodbye and rushing off home. Having watched her run out the door, Joachim caught up to his mum, beginning to help her unload the shopping. 

"Mum, you focus on paying. I'll put the items on the belt and pack," Joachim suggested, trying to be helpful. 

"Oh, thanks, darling- that would be great!" Veronica said with gratitude in her tone, stepping back as Joachim began to load everything onto the belt. It didn't take long for everything to be paid for, and before they knew it the two of them were walking back to the car, both holding one handle each of the big reusable bag Veronica had bought with her. 

"She's such a lovely girl, isn't she? Sofia?" Veronica said randomly, as they arrived back at the car and opened the boot of the car to put the shopping in. 

Joachim smiled. "She really is." 

"And it's really great to see that you've got a new friend, Joachim. I know how much you miss Jorge and Motsi.. and I'm sure that at some point you guys will be friends again-" at this Joachim immediately shook his head, "but it's really great to see you making a new friend. I'm proud of you, my darling." 

Joachim flushed slightly, but inwardly he couldn't help but be so happy to hear his mum say that, and to see the proud look on her face when she said it. Sometimes he wondered if he made them ashamed of him - with the way he had outed Jason, done such a terrible thing to his former friend. With the way that he came home each night and lay on the bed crying his eyes out because he felt so lonely and hated himself so much for what he had done in the past. With the way that apart from his blossoming friendship with Sofia, he had no other friends. With the way that, although he didn't mean to do it, he sometimes snapped at his parents in the evenings when they came in to comfort him whilst he was crying. Just last night, he had been curled up on his bed crying after dinner and Veronica had come in to see him, and he had shouted at her to go away, stop interfering and leave him alone. He didn't want to get angry, he didn't want to shout - but sometimes, he did it without even thinking. So to see Veronica looking proud of him meant a lot to him - and he was glad that, even if it was only in a small way, he could be a son for her and his dad to be proud of. 

"Thank you." 

"No, it's true! Your dad and I really are proud of you. You make us more and more proud each day." 

Joachim wasn't entirely sure how true that was, but he flushed even more and thanked her again, before being pulled into a hug by his mum. 

"I love you, Mum. And I.. I really am so sorry that I've been snapping again recently. I really am sorry - I know I keep saying it, but I don't mean to get like that." 

"It's okay, my darling. You're just going through a lot right now, what with getting ready for your exams, losing Motsi and Jorge, and just being a teenager in general.. it's understandable. We understand. And we're so proud of you and all you're achieving.. and we love you no matter what." 

"And I love you too," Joachim told his mum, as they broke apart from their hug and got into the car, ready to go home.


	36. i remember everything

"Right, listen up, everyone," the head teacher said, coming into the year eleven class just as they finished copying down some English notes from the board. They were analysing one of the many poems that could potentially come up on their exam. It was a particularly hard one they were tackling this morning, one of the Shakespearean sonnets, and most of the students were glad of a diversion. "I have an announcement to make that I'm sure will excite you all." 

Everyone put aside their paper and pens and listened intently. 

"Okay, so as you all know, Mr Frieling is going to be running the London Marathon in a few weeks," the head teacher addressed everyone, and there was a general nod around the room. At the beginning of the week, a whole school assembly had been called, to announce that the very popular Mr Frieling was going to be running the London Marathon this year, and so many people had been extremely excited by the news. "And so we are going to raise money for him to do so.. and what I want you guys to do, being among our oldest students here, is run some stalls at the little fundraising event we are putting on. Does anyone have any ideas of what they would like to do..?" 

Jorge conferred in a whisper with Motsi before raising his hand. "Motsi and I could do nails and make up as one stall." 

"Perfect idea, Jorge!" The head teacher smiled at the Cuban's eagerness. "Joachim, are you going to join them..?" 

Before Joachim could open his mouth to say that he was sure that Motsi and Jorge would not be on board with that idea, Jorge spoke up. 

"No, he will not. Joachim wouldn't know what bronzer was if it hit him in the face! And I doubt he knows anything about doing nails either." The bronzer remark was one that Jorge had made before to Joachim, but there was a difference - when he had said it in the past, he had meant it as a joke. This time, he was glaring at his former friend as he said it - he definitely wasn't joking. 

"Jorge! That wasn't very nice, was it..?" the head teacher told him off. 

"Just telling the truth," Jorge muttered, backing down, purely because he didn't want to get a detention. 

"Oh, he's being honest," Joachim tried to laugh it off to the teachers, though inside he was deeply hurt by the coolness Jorge was still showing towards him. "Maybe it wouldn't be the best idea to have me working with them.. that kind of thing isn't really my forte. I'm.. I'm open to other ideas though." 

"Okay then.. any other ideas, anyone..?" The head teacher looked around at the other students, pen poised to write down their suggestions. 

A few more ideas were quickly put forward, some utterly ridiculous, others good ones. The teachers had expected Thomas to be demotivated and refuse to do anything to help, but his eyes lit up and he asked if he could make his stall music-related. Craig had no idea at first what he wanted to do - apart from something music related, which Thomas had already taken - but then he decided to do a Guess How Many Sweets In The Jar game. Jonathan wanted to do something plant-related, but wondered if that would bore his classmates, so instead decided to be in charge of the tombola the teachers had apparently arranged. Shirley and Darcey were extremely annoyed that they couldn't do make up and nails as well, because Jorge and Motsi had already staked a claim, so they decided to do fake tattoos instead. 

Before long, there were only three people left without something to do - and those students were Jason, Ashley, and Joachim. 

"Why don't you guys join together and do something?" The head teacher suggested. 

Jason looked horrified. "I'd really rather just work with Ashley, thank you." 

Joachim didn't like Jason - that was common knowledge - and he didn't exactly want ti work with him.. but he couldn't help but feel hurt at the rejection. 

"I think it would be a good idea for all three of you guys to join up and work together. How about a guess the name of the teddy?" 

"Sure," Joachim shrugged. Maybe working with Jason and Ashley was marginally better than not having anyone to work with at all. "That's fine." 

"I guess," Jason shrugged, and Ashley nodded in agreement. 

"Great! I'll put your names down," replied the head teacher with a smile. "Thank you, guys, I really appreciate your willingness to take part in something like this. Mr Frieling is going to be thrilled!" 

And with that, she swept out the room, and the lesson continued. Once the lesson was over, twenty or so minutes later, Jorge immediately turned in his seat and began discussing ideas with Motsi for their make up and nail stall. 

"You should definitely be in charge of make up, Jorge," Motsi told her Cuban friend, as they gathered up their snacks and got ready to head downstairs together for break. "And I can do the nails, although I can't guarantee I'll.." 

"Why on earth did the teachers let Motsi Mabuse and Jorge Gonzalez be in charge of make up and nails? I think it's pretty clear by the way that Motsi looks that she-" 

"Don't you dare finish that sentence," Jorge growled at the two girls, seeing Motsi visibly droop. She wasn't one to wear make up that often, unlike Shirley and Darcey, who were constantly spending their money on lipsticks and eyeshadows and mascara. She had just always made the choice to not wear it unless it was a really special occasion, going natural most days, and it was something Jorge found very refreshing. 

"Oh come on, she doesn't know a thing about make up! Unlike us. It's not like Motsi ever wears it, although she really should.. maybe make up might hide how ugly -" 

With that, Motsi's eyes filled up with tears, and Jorge turned on the two girls, snarling, "Oi! What the bloody hell do you think you just said to her?" 

"The truth," replied Shirley, hands on her hips. 

"It's not the truth, though! She's absolutely beautiful, and even if she wasn't, you have absolutely no right to comment on somebody's appearance!" Jorge basically shouted, absolutely raging. "How dare you go around saying those kind of things? Do you have any idea what kind of impact your words can have on people?" 

"Of course you'd say that about her though - being her boyfriend and.." 

"For the five hundredth time, I am gay! And Motsi is like my sister! And I tell her she's beautiful because she is beautiful and anyone with eyes can see that!" 

"Well then, most people in this class must not have eyes, because everyone thinks-"

"Look, I'm sorry that Motsi and I put our names down to do the stall you wanted to do, but get over yourselves! And don't you dare ever say that again! Because it's untrue." 

"But it's true! Ask anyone else in the class and you'll find they think she's the ugliest -" 

Motsi burst into tears at that comment and immediately speedwalked out the room, crying her eyes out. Jorge turned on Shirley and Darcey, absolutely furious by now, the look in his brown eyes extremely dangerous.

"It's a lie! It's one of the biggest lies I ever heard. Now Motsi is the prime example of a beautiful girl. She's one of the most beautiful girls I ever met - and not just outside. Her inside is the most beautiful - she's kind, she always puts others before herself, and she would do anything for anyone. She's the most unselfish person I've ever met. She's clever, and she's an incredible dancer, and she's got so much going for her in life. And I swear, if I ever catch you saying these things to her face again, I'll lose it." 

"Jorge Gonzalez, you really need to work on your anger issues," Darcey snickered. "And anyway, what do you know about make up and nails..? You're a-" 

"A boy? Brilliant observation," Jorge said sarcastically, clapping his hands together. "And you seriously think I don't know anything about make up just because I was born a boy? Actually, I know a lot more than you think. Boys can be great at make up - and if you seriously think they can't just because they are boys, then get with the times. And one day, I'm going to be a make up artist or a fashion designer and I'm going to be-" 

"Is there a problem over here, guys?" Mr Frieling entered the classroom, stopping the Cuban mid-rant. "You are meant to be outside for break, you know." 

"No, of course not, Mr Frieling. We were just having a creative discussion," Shirley smiled sweetly, infuriating the already infuriated Jorge even more. 

"Absolutely nothing wrong." Jorge confirmed, as the two girls headed outside, Darcey tossing her hair. 

Mr Frieling narrowed his eyes. "Are you sure? You sounded pretty wound up." 

Jorge sighed, before lowering his voice. "They were saying some really horrible things about Motsi's appearance. She and I are doing a make up and hair stall at the fundraising event for you.. and they openly mocked her appearance and really upset her. And this isn't the first time they've said something horrible to her either. They mocked her for her Spanish grade in her mock exam and told her she was thick." 

"Okay, I'll speak to them later," Mr Frieling replied, secretly being astounded at just how cruel some people could be to others these days. "Thank you for telling me, Jorge. And if you have any more problems.. please come and speak to me or any of the other teachers and we'll try and sort it out for you. Now, why don't you go outside and get some fresh air, work some of that anger out?" 

Jorge nodded, thanked the teacher, and left the building in search of his best friend. By the time that he reached Motsi, the south African beauty had almost stopped crying, but she still looked so hurt. Jorge pulled her into a big hug, holding her close as she started to cry again. 

"Hey, my chica.. please don't cry. I've spoken to Mr Frieling.." 

"Jorge! Why did you tell him?" 

"Because those girls were being bullies, and I'm not having it. I'm not having them try and bring you down like this. And also because Mr Frieling overheard me having a real go at them both for saying nasty things about you. Don't worry, I'm not in any trouble or anything.. but Shirley and Darcey will be. Now come on, my chica.. don't cry. I promise, none of what those girls said was true. You're absolutely gorgeous, and don't ever let anyone make you think otherwise. And you know what makes you even more beautiful..?" 

"What..?" 

"You have the most beautiful personality. You're so kind and caring, you're positive, you put everyone before yourself, and you have one of the best senses of humour I've ever come across. With or without make up, you're absolutely gorgeous, even more than those girls in my opinion, and I promise you that they're lying through their teeth when they say you're ugly. You're absolutely gorgeous." 

"Motsi.. are you okay?" 

Jorge and Motsi both looked up to see Joachim standing there above them, and Jorge immediately scowled. 

"Oh, hey, Joachim. It's funny.. I thought we told you we never wanted to talk to you ever again?" 

"I.. I just wanted to ask you if you were okay, Motsi. I saw you crying... and I wanted to check that you were okay.." Joachim stuttered out. "Is.. is everything okay?" 

"She's fine, and even if there is something wrong with her, it's none of your business," snapped Jorge, defensively. "Now, will you please leave us alone?" 

"Look.. Jorge, Motsi.. I'm really sorry," Joachim began, his voice already trembling. "I'm really sorry. And I was wondering if maybe.." 

"You really think that if you say it enough times, we're going to pat you on the back, tell you it's okay and forgive you, don't you?" Jorge laughed. "Well.. you're wrong. And do you really think this is the time to be apologising for the way you treated not only Jason, but us? Can't you see Motsi's upset? Or are you blind as well as disrespectful?" 

"Jorge.. look, I-" 

"Oh my God, just go away!" Jorge burst out, making a bunch of people look over at them, and Jorge nodded his head and moved away, going back to sit on his bench by himself, very embarrassed knowing that so many people were looking at him. Without daring to look up, the German-Spaniard sat back down and pretended to be very interested in the contents of his lunchbox, regretting the fact that he even went over there and attempted to be friendly. 

"Please don't cry, my chica," Jorge whispered, holding Motsi close once more, stroking her back gently as she began to calm down. "Please don't.. or you'll have me crying too and I don't think anyone wants to see that. The school have only seen Jorge Gonzalez cry three times, and I think those three times, I massively concerned everyone." 

It was true - since Jorge came to the school, he had only openly become emotional three times. Once was a few weeks after he and Motsi joined, before Joachim even came to the school. He and Motsi were getting ready to go out for break when the girl suddenly fainted without any warning, and had to be taken to see the school nurse. Seeing his best friend pass out in front of him had really worried Jorge, and he had found himself becoming teary, only being reassured when the nurse told him that Motsi had fainted simply because of dehydration. The second time was not long after they befriended Joachim. Jorge had come to school one day more upset than they had ever seen him before, and he had broken down sobbing, and Mrs Kelly, who was taking them that lesson, had said that the three of them could go and sit outside for a bit. It was the most upset that either Motsi or Joachim had ever seen him - Jorge had been absolutely beside himself - and it had actually scared Joachim and Motsi to see someone who was usually so positive and so strong fall apart like that. Fortunately, it had transpired that the lump was just a reaction to the vaccination that Paco had had a few days previously, and that it was nothing to worry about at all. Jorge had been so relieved to hear the news, and had thanked his friends over and over again for looking after him and reassuring him all would be okay. The third time had been on last year's school residential trip, when they were skiing. He had become upset because of being afraid of the heights, and he had been so grateful to have his best friends by his side to reassure him all was okay. It was a very rare occurrence for Jorge to cry openly, and it always really worried people when he did, because he was such a positive and cheerful person most of the time. 

"I'm sorry," Motsi gulped, reaching into her pocket and bringing out a small packet of tissues. 

"Motsi, don't you dare apologise. Those girls are the ones who should be doing the apologising - to you! Making personal comments about people is never okay, and I'm not having them talk to you that way. They're just very nasty people who want to bring you down because they see you as a threat to them. And me as well, it seems."

"Did they..?" The south African beauty trailed off. 

"They told me that I don't know anything about make up and nails because I'm a boy and that I really need to work on my anger issues, yes. But hey, when I'm a fashion designer like Pablo's friend José, then they'll take back what they just said to me." 

"I really wish I had your confidence, Jorge." 

"I won't tell you that hearing people say stuff like that doesn't hurt a little bit - because I'd be lying and you know how much I hate lying -" he said the last part of the sentence in an overly loud voice, so that Joachim, who was sitting nearby, could hear, "but I just feel sorry for them more than anything." The bell at that moment rang for the end of break, and Jorge squeezed Motsi's shoulders gently. "Come on, my chica. Let's go upstairs for our next lessons." 

Motsi nodded, realising that she hadn't eaten her snack. As they headed across the playground together, she began to eat her brownie and grapes quickly, walking slightly slower so that she could finish them. 

"Motsi, guess what?" Jorge turned to his best friend, who had stiffened up as she saw Shirley and Darcey walking not too far ahead of her. 

"What?" 

"You really can't guess? It's something I really want you to know and remember." 

Motsi shook her head, and so Jorge smiled, before speaking five words that made the south African beauty smile, but shake her head at the same time. 

"You're beautiful inside and out." 

.. 

"Mum, I'm going out to the shopping centre," Joachim told his mum, coming down the stairs bundled up in a coat, woolly hat and scarf. "I've got to buy something for school." 

"What do you need to buy..?" Veronica asked, looking up from the TV. 

"A teddy. We're doing a fundraiser event at school soon because Mr Frieling is running the London Marathon, and I've been asked to run a 'Guess the Name of the Teddy' stall," Joachim explained. "Am I all right to go..? I thought I could get it early, and I could get dinner whilst I'm there as well." 

"Of course, my darling. Be safe, okay..?" Veronica told him, and Joachim nodded, before giving her a quick hug and heading outside into the cold. It had rained basically all day, and whilst it had stopped for now, it was freezing cold. Joachim walked quickly, pulling out his gloves from his coat pocket halfway along the pavement and putting them on, shivering violently. His plan was to get the teddy, eat some food, and get home as quickly as possible - it was too cold to be out too long and he wasn't a fan of shopping, especially not now that he didn't have Motsi and Jorge to make it fun. 

The last time Joachim set foot in Build A Bear Workshop, he was four years old, just about to turn five. He had started school a few weeks before, and he and his parents had gone on a trip in his half term to London. The main purpose of the trip was to attend a wedding reception for one of Markus's old school friends who had emigrated to the UK a few years previously, but the Llambis had also done lots of sightseeing, seeing all the different landmarks that Joachim had read about in a small picture book his parents bought him. On their final day, Veronica and Markus had told him that he could get himself a souvenir to remember their time there. They had probably thought he would want to get a shirt with I Love London on it or a small model of the London Eye (which he had been absolutely fascinated by), but instead he had asked to go to Build a Bear Workshop. There, he bought a small, ginger bear and called it Mini Cheddars after the bag of crisps that he had eaten earlier that day, and that was his souvenir. He still had the bear somewhere - in the back of his wardrobe, probably. 

Seeing a ginger bear that reminded him of his faithful bear Mini Cheddars, Joachim handed it over to one of the workers to be stuffed. Watching them fill up the bear, fond memories of a much younger him standing there with his parents excitedly watching the process came flooding back. He could almost see himself standing there with that huge smile on his face, watching his new friend get filled up, and it made him smile almost as wide now. 

Choosing a small red heart to be sewn into his chest, similar again to Mini Cheddars, Joachim watched as the bear was sewn up neatly. Finally the bear was handed to him, and he smiled and thanked the worker before fluffing it and heading over to choose an outfit. The clothes were all quite expensive, so he ended up choosing one of the cheapest outfits possible - an ice-blue tuxedo. After inputting his details into the computer, and choosing a name (he simply called it Bob, deciding that he could think of a more inventive name for it for the fundraiser event), he paid for the bear, before heading out of the shop, towards the food court to get some food before he went home. 

"Well I never! Look who it is!" 

Joachim froze as he realised who the voice belonged to. Swivelling around, he was met with the sight of Jason and Ashley, seemingly making their way to the food court. 

"How.. nice to see you, Llambi. Hey.. what's this..?" Jason let out a loud laugh as he caught sight of the Build a Bear Workshop carrier bag that Joachim was carrying. "You're a bit old for stuffed toys, aren't you, Llambi?" 

"You're never too old for stuffed toys. And anyway, this isn't for me.." Joachim said in a rather subdued tone, "it's for our stall for the fundraiser." 

"Oh." Jason fell silent for a moment, before suddenly blurting out, "come on." 

Joachim's eyebrows furrowed. "Come on where, exactly?" 

"You're obviously on your way to the food court. Come and get some food with us." 

The invitation shocked the German-Spaniard greatly. Jason was the last person he would expect to ask him to do something with him. 

"But-"

"So that we can talk about our ideas for the fundraiser, obviously," Jason clarified. "Now, no buts. Come on." 

Joachim didn't really want to go and sit in a restaurant with his former friends and make conversation. He wanted to just go home and be by himself, but he didn't dare turn down the invitation. Taking a deep breath, he sighed and nodded. "Let's go." 

"You could at least act a little grateful for the invitation, Llambi." 

Joachim said nothing more as they headed up to the next floor together and entered Subway. As they stood on the escalator, he fired off a quick message to his mum, just reassuring her that he was okay and getting some food before he came home. 

Hijo favorito 🏌️♂️: voy a comer ahora, probablemente en Subway o en McDonalds. Te enviaré un mensaje cuando este listo para volver a casa. 

It wasn't a lie. He just wasn't going to tell her he was there with the boy who had outed him two years ago, because he knew exactly what her response would be to that. 

Mum 👜❤: no hay problema cariño. ¡Disfrútala! Xx

"Llambi, get off your phone and pay attention!" 

Looking up, Joachim realised that he was at the top of the escalator, and hastily turned off his phone before stepping off it and catching up with Jason and Ashley. 

"Is Subway okay?" Jason questioned. 

Joachim nodded. "Yeah, I like Subway." 

"Good. Because I'll be honest, I'm not the greatest fan of McDonalds," Jason revealed, as they entered the fast food outlet and got in the short queue. 

"That's changed then." 

"Excuse me..?" 

Joachim shuffled rather uncomfortably. "You used to love McDonald's.. you know, back when we were friends. We often used to go." 

"Oh. Yeah, I guess we did. Well, I tried going vegetarian for a few months, so I obviously stopped going. I decided to go back to eating meat again, but I've not really enjoyed McDonald's food since - I find it too greasy and I never feel very good after I've eaten it. I much prefer Subway." He gestured to the fillings. "Okay. What do you want? Food wise, I mean, obviously." 

"I know what you meant. Tuna, lettuce and tomato, please" Joachim responded. 

"And you, Ash? Your usual?" 

Ashley nodded. "Yeah.. that'll do just fine." 

"Okay, you guys go sit down and I'll bring over the food in a minute," Jason instructed the two boys. "No.. Joachim, put that money back. I'll pay for you." 

"You don't need to pay for me," Joachim said dully. "I'm not poor - I can pay myself." 

"I know you can.. but I want to pay for you. I get enough pocket money from my parents - buying you a sandwich isn't going to break my bank," Jason insisted, taking the money from Joachim and dropping it back into his bag. "I insist. Now, go and sit down with Ashley and I'll bring the food over when it's ready. Do you want a cookie?" 

"Thanks. And.. yeah, I'll have a chocolate one, please," Joachim gestured rather limply at the cookie stand, before going to sit down beside Ashley, who was scrolling through Instagram, liking a post every now and again. 

"You okay?" Ashley looked up from his phone as Joachim pulled out the chair and sat down in it, sighing. 

"Oh, I've never been better," responded Joachim, extremely sarcastically. "I couldn't be any happier than I am right now." 

"Stupid question. Sorry." There were a few moments of awkward silence before Ashley questioned, "so, what teddy did you end up getting..? I'm curious." 

"I'll show you when Jason comes over," replied Joachim, placing the bag down on the floor next to him. 

"Okay. Thanks for getting the teddy, by the way. So early on as well!" 

"Oh.. no worries. I thought I might as well get it now.. even though it's not till after our mocks that we actually do the fundraiser. How are you.. how are you feeling about your mock exams?" 

"More confident than I was in December, definitely. But that's because I've become a better student since then," responded Ashley, putting away his phone. "I'm still scared though.. but aren't we all? What about you..?" 

"I.. I'm actually really.." Joachim broke off as Jason came walking over with two trays of food, swiftly handing out each order to the appropriate person, and their conversation ended at that point before Joachim could actually answer Ashley. 

"There you go, Llambi. Now show us what teddy you bought," Jason commanded, as he sat down in the seat opposite Joachim, unwrapping his sandwich and beginning to eat. 

Without a word, Joachim picked up the bag from the floor and got out the teddy that he had purchased less than an hour ago. As he held the teddy out for them to see, Jason's eyebrows raised. 

"Did you deliberately choose that bear because it looks like Mini Cheddars?" 

Joachim's eyes widened. He hadn't expected Jason to even remember that he had a bear with that name, let alone what it looked like. "How did you.." 

Jason sighed deeply. "Llambi, we were best friends for two years. I remember a lot more than you realise. I remember the fact you had a teddy bear named Mini Cheddars that you got from Build a Bear Workshop whilst on holiday in London. I remember how you had an imaginary friend named Thomas when you were little because you were so lonely and wanted a sibling. I remember how the first English movie you ever watched was The Polar Express. I remember how you told me you used to be afraid of the dark when you were really young. I remember how you told me you used to be so terrified of fireworks when you were little that you once crawled under a table in a restaurant and started crying. You remember how I used to love going to McDonald's. You probably remember the way I used to have posters and drawings in my bedroom closet.. which by the way I still do. You probably remember the way I used to love performing, and was in literally every school production that the school put on, and often got main parts as well. Just because you ruined my life and fucked up, doesn't mean that I've forgotten everything about you. I remember everything." 

Joachim was astounded by how much Jason really did seem to remember. And how much he still remembered about Jason, even after all this time. He remembered it all. 

"So.. in response to my question, did you deliberately choose that bear because it looks like your bear Mini Cheddars..?" 

Joachim nodded slowly. 

"Thought so. Right, does anyone have any paper..?" 

"Why do you want paper?" 

Jason rolled his eyes. "So I can write down possible names for people to guess, obviously." 

"Well, I'm sorry, I'm not your local brand of Paperchase," Joachim snapped, before reaching into his jeans pocket and pulling out a pen. "Use this." 

"It's paper I'm looking for-" 

"Use a napkin!" Joachim suggested impatiently, and Jason thought that a good idea. He took the napkin next to him and began to draw a grid with several boxes on it with Joachim's pen, before looking up. 

"Right, what are we calling this bear..? What's its actual name going to be?" 

"Tiger." 

Jason turned to Joachim and snorted. "Tiger? Why Tiger? It's a bear.." 

"I know that.." Joachim shifted uncomfortably. "I was thinking Tiger after.. you know.. Tiger Woods." 

"The golf player? How didn't I guess that?" Jason snorted, and Joachim flushed. 

"Maybe that one might be a bit too predictable, Joachim. People know well how much you love golf and Tiger Woods is quite well known.." 

"Yeah. I hate golf, and even I know who Tiger Woods is." 

Suddenly getting a memory of him and Jason on a golf course together, one he had almost forgotten, the German-Spaniard smiled. "I can see why." 

"I can see why what?" Jason sounded extremely fierce. 

"Why you hate playing golf. I just remembered the time that we went to the golf course together when we were friends and I tried to teach you.. and you weren't exactly talented at it, to say the least. In fact.. I would say you were worse than Jorge. And trust me, Jorge is terrible at golf." 

"Anyway.." Jason completely ignored what the German-Spaniard had just said, "we are not calling it Tiger. Way too obvious." 

"True.." Joachim nodded, still slightly red in the face. "How about.. four year old me named my bear Mini Cheddars because the packaging is orange. How about we name this bear after something orange coloured?" 

"But isn't that even more obvious than calling it Tiger?" Jason raised his eyebrows. "I think we should just go with a normal name, nothing too exotic, that way it will be harder to guess it." 

"I agree with Jason." 

Joachim sighed, seeing their point. "Okay. How about.." he breathed in deeply before saying the first male name that came into his head, "Felix..?" 

"Jordan and I used to have a cat called Felix!" Ashley's face lit up suddenly. "Jase, can we please call the teddy Felix..?" 

Jason shrugged. "Sure.. I guess we can. Felix it is. And what we could do is put Tiger down as one of the options.. people might pick that because they know how much you like golf, Llambi." 

Joachim nodded. "True." 

Over the next twenty minutes, Jason wrote out other possible names on the napkin that people could guess. From Sebastian (Joachim suggested that, thinking of Jorge's maths tutor) to Roman (suggested by Ashley), from Thomas (suggested by Jason, thinking of Joachim's imaginary friend) to Eliza (suggested by Jason - who thought it would be wise to put down some female names too), all sorts of names were written down, and by the time their dinner was finished, they had about 50 possible options written out on that one napkin. 

"Perfect," Jason said in a contented tone, folding up the napkin and placing it in his pocket. "I'll write that out on a big piece of card nearer the day of the fundraiser." 

"Good." Joachim stood up a little awkwardly. "Um.. I have to leave now. My parents don't know I'm out with you guys and well.. I need to get home." 

"Yeah, I'm not exactly going to rush and tell my mum and dad that I was out with you," Jason agreed, a little curtly. "And Llambi..?" 

"Yeah..?" 

"Put your money away. As I told you, I'm not poor. I can afford to buy you a sandwich." 

"Okay." Joachim put away his purse once more, sighing. "Thanks, Jason." 

"Don't mention it. I'll see you at school," Jason replied, before gathering up his things. "Come on, Ash.. let's get going." 

"Bye, Joachim," Ashley gave the German-Spaniard a friendly wave. 

"Yeah. Goodbye.. and good riddance!" Jason called, as he marched off in the opposite direction, leaving Joachim standing by himself once more. 

And mildly confused by all that had happened that night, and suddenly exhausted, the German-Spaniard gathered up the bag with Felix in it and dumped his rubbish in the bin, before beginning the short walk home.


	37. hide and seek

Half term arrived not long after Joachim's rather unexpected dinner with Jason and Ashley, and for Joachim, Craig and Jonathan especially, it was an extremely boring and lonely week. So boring, in fact, that they almost couldn't wait to be over. 

Jorge and Motsi spent most of the week together, either preparing for mock exams, or just chilling and hanging out together at one of their houses. Most of the time they were at Jorge's, because there were less distractions there due to it just being Jorge and his parents, but they often went over to Motsi's as well, and spent time with Oti and Phemelo. On Friday night they babysat so that Dudu could go and see her friend, and the four of them had a great time together. They watched a bunch of Disney films together - they watched Bambi, which made them all cry, and Frozen, among others - and played dress up. Oti asked if she could do Jorge's make up, which Jorge agreed to, and by the time the little girl was done, Jorge was left with a rather interesting make up look. He ended up with lipstick all over his forehead and mascara on his chin, but he pretended to absolutely love his makeover, claiming the young girl's make up skills were better than his own. He sent several pictures across to Pablo, and the older of the two Gonzalez brothers found the whole thing highly amusing. 

Jason was missing Craig a lot, and really regretting how badly he had treated both Craig and Jonathan on the night they went to the theatre. He still didn't know what had caused him to act the way that he did that night, but he regretted his behaviour massively and wished like anything that he could just sit down and talk it out with Craig. He just wanted to apologise, show him that he really was sorry for being so hateful towards Jonathan - who had literally never done anything to him - and so controlling towards Craig himself. And start over again with their friendship. But he felt far too awkward to approach him, and besides, Craig looked like he never wanted to talk to the Australian that he had once been so close to ever again. Jason was grateful for the fact, however, that he at least still had one friend - that being Ashley. Ashley hadn't been happy at all to hear about the way Jason had treated both Craig and Jonathan, and had felt it was his duty given Jason a huge telling off about it, but he had stuck beside him and the two of them remained best friends like they had been for years. Ashley spent quite a bit of time during the holiday with the Diversity lads, but he came over to Jason's house every day and the two of them revised together. The younger of the two boys was really beginning to take studying seriously and was doing so much better in all his subjects than he was before Christmas. 

Jonathan missed Craig more than he could ever explain, and though he knew he had made the right decision at the time in breaking up with him, he missed him so much it hurt. He had been even more heartbroken since Valentine's Day, which had fallen just before the start of the holiday. It really had been the most painful day - they had planned to go to the theatre and watch Strictly Ballroom before going for dinner at the restaurant where they went on their very first date. A few days ago, Jonathan had sold his ticket to a friend of Amelia's who loved the musical, and he had cancelled their dinner reservation with a heavy heart. He had spent the whole holiday revising, doing ten-hour study days, sometimes more. He knew that it was maybe a little excessive, but it took his mind off everything that was happening in his personal life, so he carried on doing it. Studying the water cycle or Spanish grammar or trigonometry allowed him to forget the pain of his heartbreak for a short time. 

Valentine's Day was never a day that Craig had cared much about - he considered it to be over commercialised and pointless. He had always seen people on his social media feeds posting about the gifts their significant others gave them for Valentine's, and had never seen the point. But this year, he was so upset that he wouldn't be spending it with Jonathan that he spent the whole day in bed crying and wishing that he was getting ready to go out for the evening with the love of his life. Seeing all the pictures on his Instagram timeline of happy couples on the day of love absolutely broke his heart, and the worst part was knowing that if he had just paid a little more attention to how Jonathan was feeling and a little less attention to Jason, then he wouldn't be this heartbroken. He had spent the entirety of the half term holiday trying to distract himself with theatre and dancing, his two favourite things. On Friday, he booked for himself to go to the theatre to watch a matinee of Les Miserables, a musical he had been dying to see for years. He had really loved it, and had been thoroughly impressed by the show, but even going to the theatre wasn't the same anymore - it would never be the same without Jonathan by his side. Jonathan who knew little about theatre, but was so eager to learn about it. Jonathan who sat there during shows and looked amazed at all the things that happened on the stage, things he never knew were capable of happening. Jonathan who would always slip his arm around him and cuddle as close as he could during shows. Just how much he missed him was crazy, and he really hoped that some day they would be able to try again - even if in his mind that seemed impossible at the present time. Why would somebody he hurt so much even think about the possibility of dating him again? 

Joachim spent most of the week bored out his mind. Unable to concentrate on studying and not having anyone to hang out with, he spent most of the time either watching TV or reading or lying on his bed doing nothing. The only other thing he did was dancing, practicing his steps for the routine he and Sofia were going to dance and trying to get them absolutely perfect. It felt like the summer they had moved here from their old home, where he had six weeks before he went to school, and knew absolutely no one. Though at least, when he moved here, he had been able to spend the summer exploring the place and getting to know the area. Now, it was the same old area, the same old neighbours, the same old things to do - and it was tedious. The one and only really good day of the holiday was Wednesday. He was so incredibly bored that, when his mum announced she was going shopping, he agreed to go with her. He hadn't really enjoyed himself, especially not in the clothes shops that Veronica loved, but it had taken an unexpected positive turn when he bumped into Sofia. She was alone, shopping for a birthday present for her mum, but she had asked Joachim if he wanted to go and get an ice cream with her like they had done after dancing not long ago. Joachim had immediately asked his mum if that was okay, and seeing the eagerness in his eyes (something that wasn't often seen in his eyes anymore), Veronica was more than happy to let him go. The two of them had gone to the small ice-cream parlour and had an ice cream together - Sofia a strawberry, Joachim chocolate - and chatted until Sofia had said that she really had to go home now, to get ready for dancing. They had then really enjoyed their dancing session together, and Joachim had gone home actually feeling really happy. 

And for the first night in a while, when Veronica came in to check that he was okay before she went to bed, it was clear he hadn't cried himself to sleep. 

The first day back came before they all knew it, marking the start of exam season. All at once, it was time for the second set of Mock exams, and all of them felt varying levels of preparedness. Jorge and Motsi were nervous but feeling fairly confident - they had worked together every day of the holidays, really stepping up revision on both their accounts as they both wanted so much to boost their grades dramatically in some subjects. They spent at least five hours together daily, trying to get the subject matter into their heads, difficult as it was sometimes. And though they both cordially hated having to spend so much of their free time focused on school work, there was at least one plus side to it - namely, that they had barely any time to think about the Joachim situation. Motsi avoided bringing it up - she had secretly made a resolution that they would focus on their exams, then she would bring up the Joachim situation to Jorge afterwards. Jason felt extremely confident, because he had spent so much time revising, but he still found himself being affected by nerves. Ashley knew that he was in a much better position to pass this time around, because he really had tried hard with revision and homework recently, but he was still nervous. Jonathan was stressing out, although he had probably done more revision than anybody else in the class this half term holiday. Craig and Joachim were both terrified - they knew they had done a lack of revision and they feared the revision they had done hadn't been absorbed. They had found it so hard to concentrate recently, what with everything that was going on, and they feared getting their results already, even though none of the exams had actually taken place yet. 

The first two exams were to be English literature in the morning, followed by their Spanish orals after lunch. All the year eleven students were sitting in the same classroom doing some last minute revision again, and like when they had been here for their first set of mock exams just a few weeks previous, nerves were running high. People were getting in some last minute revision, stressed-out looks on their faces as they flicked through pages and pages of notes and reread flashcards. Currently, Jorge and Motsi were sitting at a table in the back of the room, Motsi showing Jorge all of her essay plans that she had made over the last few months. 

"How on earth do you come up with some of these ideas?" Jorge asked in admiration, as he read through the plans, all written in Motsi's beautifully neat handwriting. "I would never have even thought of some of these.. it's insane!" 

"I don't know.. I just do," Motsi said rather modestly, shrugging. 

"Please teach me!" Jorge joked, handing her back the plans with a word of thanks. He felt slightly more prepared now. "And please teach me how to write like that! Your handwriting is actually so beautiful, and mine looks like an inky spider has walked across my page." 

"Only if you give me your fluency in Spanish." Motsi laughed, before her face grew more solemn. "So.. how confident are you with this?" 

"After reading those, I feel like I know more than I did this morning before I came to school. I'm just a bit worried about the unseen poetry section as that was the thing I found hardest last time," said Jorge, suddenly looking nervous, something that he didn't look very often. 

"You'll smash it, don't you worry, Jorgito," Motsi said, giving him a quick hug. 

"Thank you, my chica! We all know you're going to come top, though," Jorge replied in a tone devoid of any bitterness or jealousy. He really was proud of how talented his friend was at English language and literature. 

"Right, everyone, can we all please line up and get ready to go to the exam room," called Mr Frieling from the doorway, and everyone got up from their places, made doubly sure they had everything they needed, and lined up. They followed Mr Frieling in an orderly line down to the exam hall, all extremely nervous. 

Joachim was a few places in line back from Jorge and Motsi. He wanted to go and wish them good luck, motivate them to do well like they had done to each other in their last mocks - but then Jorge turned around. The Cuban realised that he had been looking at him and shot him an extremely dirty look, and Joachim looked away immediately, deciding that wishing them good luck really wasn't a good idea. 

Mrs Kelly was their invigilator, and after she had handed out papers and read the exam instructions, she sat down to get on with some marking and lesson planning. 

Joachim turned over his paper as soon as their time started and began to read through the questions with a rather panicked look on his face. He felt sure that he remembered the question about Great Expectations being set for homework just a few weeks ago, but he couldn't remember anything that he had written for it. It was probably one of the essays he wrote a mere page on and got marked really low for. He had done a lot of them since he, Jorge and Motsi stopped being friends. He also recognised the unseen poetry question, and the question about the poems they had studied.. but he couldn't remember anything about them. He hadn't concentrated in those classes properly and he hadn't revised them.. he knew that. He knew this was his fault, that if he had studied more then he wouldn't be having this problem, but all around him, everyone seemed to be writing furiously, and he wanted to just lay his head on the table and cry. He knew that he had to at least try and write something, or he would get a score of zero and cause the teacher to get really angry at him, but he just didn't know where to start with any of the essays. 

Just across from him, though the German-Spaniard didn't know it, Craig was feeling the same way. He too had done very little revision and although he remembered doing those questions, he couldn't remember a word of what he had written. He had been doing homework in a haze recently, hardly paying attention to what he was doing, and in class he was almost always zoned out, too busy thinking about how much he had hurt Jonathan through his stupid, thoughtless actions. He, like Joachim, attempted to write at least something that made sense, but he knew already that his grade at this rate was going to be simply atrocious. 

Jorge was actually pleasantly surprised to see some of the questions they had done not two weeks ago come up in class. Quickly, he began to plan his answer (their teacher had drummed the importance of making an essay plan into them) before beginning to write the essay, his handwriting messier than ever, but still legible. Not far away from him, Motsi was internally cheering. She had practised two of these essays just the night before, and knew exactly what she wanted to write - and soon enough her hand was flying down the page as she wrote down everything she knew about the character of Miss Havisham in Great Expectations. Jason and Jonathan were also really happy with the questions, and by the time the two hours and fifteen minutes were up and everyone was heading out the exam room, most felt satisfied with what they had done. 

"I was really glad to see those questions come up!" Jorge said in a cheerful tone to Motsi, as they made their way downstairs to the playground for morning break. "That was a lot easier than I expected it would be." 

"They were actually some really great questions," agreed Motsi, with a smile. "Now just for Spanish later.. will you do mine for me..?" 

"I think that might be a bit of a hard stunt to pull off, chica, seeing as I'm a lot taller than you, a different nationality, and a different gender," laughed Jorge, beginning to eat the banana he had bought as a snack. "You'll be fine! You've been great in all the practices we've done together recently - you'll do great!" 

"I hope so," sighed Motsi. "I just really want to do well." 

"I know you do. And you will, I promise! You just need to have some more confidence in yourself. Because it wasn't lack of ability that let you down last time we did mock exams.. it was a lack of confidence, and that's entirely different." Jorge smiled at her reassuringly. "I promise you, you'll do brilliantly." 

After their break, they went upstairs for an hour of chemistry and an hour of business, before going back downstairs for lunch. During their lunch hour, Jorge tested Motsi on her Spanish, encouraging her, trying to boost her confidence. By the end of lunch, the south African beauty felt much more confident in her abilities, and when she was called down to a separate classroom to do her speaking with Mrs Kelly, she actually felt relatively calm, although nerves still bubbled in her tummy. 

"You'll be amazing, Motsi!" Jorge, who had already done his oral and was very happy indeed with how it had gone, reassured her. They were currently sitting in a classroom with Mr Frieling, who was allowing them all to get on with some studying, either alone or in little groups. "You've got this!" 

And as it turned out, Motsi had got it. All the way down to the classroom, she went over and over her presentation in her head, making sure that she knew it. She was ushered by the invigilator, their maths teacher, into the classroom, and after a quick chat with Mrs Kelly and some reassurances that she was fine, the exam began. 

The presentation actually went really well, and though she knew she sounded a little bit hesitant in parts, she didn't forget anything. The questions were a little bit shaky, and she knew she made some silly grammatical errors, but they didn't go anywhere near as badly as they did in December, so that was something. When the exam ended, Mrs Kelly gave the girl a warm smile and told her "muy bien, Motsi. Tu has mejorado mucho desde diciembre" which made Motsi grin widely, thank her, and immediately run back to the classroom to find Jorge. 

"Mrs Kelly said I made an improvement!" Motsi told Jorge excitedly, practically running over to her best friend as Mr Frieling had left them unattended for a moment, elated. "I know there were a lot of grammatical errors, but I've improved!" 

"See? I told you you would!" Jorge replied with the proudest smile on his face. "I'm so, so proud of you." 

"Thank you!" Motsi couldn't stop smiling at how much more successful her oral had been this time round. "Are you still coming round to mine for dinner tonight..?" 

"Of course I am! I wouldn't miss it," Jorge nodded. He had been invited over to the Mabuses for dinner tonight, and he was beyond excited. "Oh, chica, I'm so proud of you and so happy for you! You deserve so much to do well and feel confident." 

"And I'm so proud of you too," Motsi said, flushing. 

"That's really sweet of you, Motsi," Jorge beamed, as the girl sat down next to him again and took out her geography book, for their first geography mock was tomorrow. "Thank you, chica." 

"Now-" he got out his own geography book, "shall we get on with some more studying?" 

"I suppose so," laughed Motsi. "But let's think- in three months, we'll have finished our exams and we'll be ready for the best summer of our life!" 

"You know, thinking about going to Cuba and seeing Pablo, and not having to worry about exams or school for almost three whole months is about the only thing getting me through all this revision right now," Jorge responded, with a sigh. "I just hope it will be worth it in the end." 

"It will," Motsi told him. "Hard work always pays off." 

"Well, I just hope you're right." 

With that, the Cuban opened his book. 

"Okay, what shall we study first?" 

.. 

Dudu still remembered the first time that Jorge came over for dinner. It was about three months after Motsi came out of school excitedly shouting "mummy! I made a new friend today!", and at first, Dudu was very taken aback by just how energetic, happy and wild Jorge really was. He talked a lot over dinner, he didn't always wait for people to stop talking before he started, and when they went in the paddling pool, he made a lot of noise. It didn't seem to register in his seven year old brain that there were lots of other people living around them who maybe didn't want to hear him being so loud and boisterous, and the South African woman had to admit that she was slightly relieved when a then fifteen year old Pablo arrived and Jorge went home. But over the years the Cuban calmed down, and became less energetic, although his loud and vivacious personality never went away. And now Dudu absolutely loved having Jorge round, and was extremely grateful that the eldest of her three daughters had such a wonderful friend in her life. Today, she greeted him with a warm smile, and Oti and Phemelo, who had not long ago arrived home from primary school, immediately came running out from the house to welcome him and Motsi into the house.

"Jorge, guess what, guess what?" Oti cried, tugging the Cuban into the house. 

"I can't guess.. tell me!" Jorge responded, a huge smile on his face. 

"I've got a boyfriend!" The youngest of the three Mabuse sisters announced proudly. 

"You haven't!" Jorge cried, pretending to look very surprised indeed. 

"I have, I have!" 

Motsi exchanged an amused smile with her friend. "This is the first I've heard of it." 

"Who's the boy?" Jorge asked the little girl. 

"His name's Marius and he's in my class at school, and he knows lots about the planets and he likes to dance. And one day, we are going to get married!" 

"Well, isn't that amazing?" Jorge cried. He couldn't help but smile at the childhood innocence Oti displayed. "I love how you've found the person you want to marry before me. Phemelo, have you got a boyfriend..?" 

"No!" Phemelo shook her head furiously, looking horrified, as though Jorge had just asked her if she liked broccoli. "I don't ever want a boyfriend!" 

"Motsi, remind her of this when she's our age and falling in love for the first time," Jorge winked at Motsi, who burst out laughing. "Right, who wants to play hide and seek..?" He had suggested to Motsi that they have fun and relax until after dinner, and then do a little bit of studying before Jorge went home. 

"Yes please!" Oti and Phemelo chorused excitedly. 

Jorge hitched his school bag further onto his back. "Okay. You go and find somewhere to hide, and Motsi and I will go and get changed and then come and find you. Got it?" 

The two little girls nodded, and as soon as they had run off to go and find somewhere really good to hide, Motsi and Jorge headed into Motsi's room. Motsi's room perfectly reflected her personality, with posters of dancers stuck to the walls, cushions and beanbags spread all around the room, and framed photos of her friends on the walls and on her bedside table. Jorge immediately caught sight of the two photos of her and Joachim on the bedside table. One was taken in the hotel room when they went skiing last year, and the two of them were standing with their arms around each other, smiling broadly at the camera. The other was from when they went trampolining one night, and in the photo, Motsi was jumping high in the air and doing the splits whilst Joachim gestured at her with his hand and looked immensely shocked at what she could do with her body. Jorge usually would have smiled at the photo of his two best friends having fun together, but now that he wasn't friends with one of them, seeing them made him scowl. However, he didn't comment on it, pulling out the outfit he had packed in his school bag (a simple black shirt and his polka dot trousers) and getting changed into it quickly. 

Once both him and Motsi were changed, the two of them headed down the stairs, calling out to Oti and Phemelo that they were coming to find them. Both fifteen year olds immediately worked out where Motsi's sisters were hiding - they could hear them whispering and giggling from miles away. But instead of instantly go and find them, they pretended to not know where they were, looking everywhere else to give Oti and Phemelo the satisfaction of being good "hiders". 

As they looked around, Motsi couldn't help but think about Joachim, and how good he was at hide and seek. She remembered how the German-Spaniard had once told her that when he was at a birthday party once, the children all played hide and seek as a party game, and he had been one of those that had to hide. They had the party at a massive park, and he managed to stay so well hidden that everyone became really worried that he had left the park. They eventually found him half an hour later curled up in a corner of the playhouse, colouring in a picture of a dog in his colouring book, seemingly unaware that he had caused mild panic among everybody at the party. 

Eventually, Jorge winked at Motsi and the two of them went over to the sofa, peeking behind it and saying in unison, "found you!" 

"That took you so long!" Phemelo exclaimed. 

"Well, you were very well hidden," Jorge told her, with a smile. "It was really hard to find you! Right, shall we see if you two can find Motsi and I quicker?" 

"Yes!" 

"Okay! Count from one to twenty, okay?" Motsi told her sisters. 

"Okay. But Jorge..?" 

"Yes?" 

"Where's Jojo? Why does he never come around anymore?" 

When Oti and Phemelo first met Joachim, they both had trouble pronouncing his name correctly, especially Oti. They just couldn't seem to get it right, so in the end, Joachim said, "I've never really had a nickname before, but you can call me Jojo if you like" and the name had stuck. From that moment on, Joachim was known to the two youngest Mabuse sisters as Jojo. 

Jorge immediately scowled, but he tried to tell himself that the little girl didn't know about what had happened with Joachim. He exchanged a glance with Motsi, before replying, "oh.. he's just very busy at the moment. So he hasn't really had much time to hang out with us." 

"Oh, okay." Oti seemed to accept that answer. "I hope he isn't busy soon! I miss Jojo coming around - he said that he will teach me golf when I'm a bit bigger!" 

"Hopefully he will be less busy," Motsi interrupted, deciding not to explain that at the moment, it looked as though the three of them would never be coming around here together again. "Now, count to twenty, okay? And we'll go and hide." 

"Okay! Jorge, did you know I can count to one hundred?" 

"No way! That's so cool!" Jorge cried, looking extremely impressed. 

"Yeah. One day I'm going to be able to count to one million!" 

"I'm sure you'll be able to do that one day! If you keep working really hard," Jorge told the little girl with an encouraging smile. "Now, Motsi and I will go and hide, and you come and find us. Count to twenty!" 

"We will!" Oti giggled, taking her sister's hand, and the two of them began to count up to twenty together very loudly. 

And as Motsi took hold of Jorge's hand and rushed off to hide (in an obvious place so Oti and Phemelo would feel like they were really good seekers), beaming all over her face, she felt so unbelievably grateful that she had two little sisters and such an amazing friend in her life.


	38. unforgivable

"We've got this, chica!" 

Monday morning, and the year eleven students were getting ready to go and sit their first maths mock exam. Jorge couldn't lie - he was terrified - but he had had a talk with Pablo last night, and he was feeling slightly more confident. 

Last night's conversation with his brother had come at exactly the right time. He had been crying at his desk, something that wasn't common for him, because he was really worried about failing his maths again and not being good enough. He really wanted to make his parents and Pablo proud of him, and he wanted to show Sebastian that his teaching really was paying off. And he worried that if he failed, his family would be disappointed and it look as though Sebastian was failing at tutoring him, even though the Puerto Rican was a fantastic teacher and really did make maths seem that little bit easier for the Cuban. Pablo had rung whilst he was crying, and had straightaway noticed that he was crying even though Jorge tried to deny it. He had then gone on to give a warm and heartfelt motivational speech that had left the younger of the two Gonzalez brothers feeling so much better. He was now telling himself that even if he did fail again, he wasn't going to be hard on himself - because he knew that he had been working unbelievably hard in lessons and with Sebastian recently to improve. 

"I hope so," Motsi gave a small smile as they headed down to the exam room together. "I wish I was as confident as you about these things, Jorge." 

"I'm not confident in my maths ability at all," Jorge laughed, "but I know that I've worked really hard for this, and that's the main thing. And you have worked so hard too, chica - and that's something to be really proud of. No matter what grade you get." 

"Thank you, Jorge. You always manage to make me feel better about these things," Motsi smiled at her best friend. 

"That's what friends are for. To be your biggest cheerleaders and help you believe in yourself," responded Jorge, putting his arm around her. "Good luck! We can do this." 

With that, the two friends fell silent as they walked into the exam room. Once again it was Mr Frieling who was their invigilator, who had many times told his students of how much he struggled with maths when he was a student. Sitting down in their assigned seats, Mr Frieling went around giving everyone their papers whilst Mrs Kelly stood at the front before everyone and read out the exam rules and regulations that all the students had heard at least 50 times since the start of the school year and could practically recite off by heart. 

"Right, you have two hours. Your time starts now," Mr Frieling announced, before writing the start and finish time on the whiteboard and sitting down to get on with some correcting. His year nine class had handed in essays about their families that needed to be corrected so that they could rewrite them ready for a wall display. The Spanish teacher got on with correcting those, looking up every now and again to make sure everyone was working and that nobody was cheating or doing anything they shouldn't be doing. 

Jorge, who was sitting in the second row, did what his teachers and Pablo had always told him to do and read through the entire paper first. The final few questions looked impossible - he doubted if anyone could answer those - but the first half of the paper actually had some questions that looked manageable. Upon seeing a question on adding and subtracting fractions, his face broke into a smile - that was something that he had revised with Sebastian just this weekend because their teacher had hinted at it coming up on the exam. And then there was a question on ratios - something else that he had studied recently. Although there were still lots of questions he didn't feel like he could answer, there were more manageable ones than there were on his maths mock papers back in December, and that made him feel so relieved. With that smile still on his face, he bowed his head, picked up one of the three black pens that he had brought in with him, and began to write. He kept writing on and on until the end, using the spare time he had to check and recheck his answers. He attempted every single question this time, even the ones he couldn't understand at all - for those, he just wrote down any numbers that seemed like they made sense. And though he wasn't entirely confident that he would get that pass grade yet, he knew that his grade was going to be higher than it was in December. 

Motsi too had found several questions on the paper that she felt confident with answering. Ratios was something that she had studied recently and something that she understood, and she understood the Pythagoras question as well - that was one of the topics she had made notes on just the other night upstairs in her bedroom. At first the question about probability confused her, but once she calmed down and actually read it through slowly and carefully, she began to understand what it was asking her. Like Jorge, she continued writing till the end - though she actually finished with an hour to spare, she checked and rechecked every answer, even the ones she was confident on, to make absolutely sure that they were correct. 

Some students, like Jonathan and Jason, seemed to be flying through their papers, seemingly not having any trouble with the questions. Several people struggled quite a lot with the paper, Mr Frieling observed, but the two who evidently struggled the most were Craig and Joachim. Both looked stressed throughout the whole exam, and he could tell that they had both gone blank. He was very worried about the both of them - they had both been so down and not themselves recently. And to see them both staring blankly down at their maths paper, not even attempting to do the questions, really worried the teacher. Especially Joachim - Joachim was no genius at maths, and his grades weren't the highest, but he had never gone completely blank like this before. 

Mr Frieling decided that at some point, maybe a little chat with the German-Spaniard would be a good idea. 

After the two hours were up, Mr Frieling stood up from his chair, told everyone to put their pens down, and went around collecting all the papers. Once they were collected, he told everyone they could leave, but not before making an announcement. 

"Today, you are all going to be having Spanish together with me," he told them, as they stood up in silence to leave. "Mrs Kelly has had a family emergency and has had to leave today, so please all of you come into my classroom after lunch and I'll find something fun that we can all do together." 

Joachim inwardly groaned. Not only had he just completely failed the maths paper in front of him, but he had to spend part of the afternoon today with his least favourite teacher. Could life get any worse? 

"How did you do, Motsi?" Jorge asked, as soon as they exited the exam room. "Guess what? I actually think I did okay! I don't know if I'll pass.. but I answered almost all the questions on the paper even if I didn't know the answers, and I had quite a few topics I'm quite good at come up. What about you..?" 

"I actually think I did okay too!" Motsi beamed radiantly. "I hope I've passed this paper. Because I really want to pass this time around." 

"I'm sure you will, chica!" Jorge said in a positive tone of voice. "You worked so hard and passing is what you absolutely deserve!" 

"And the same goes to you! I know that you would much rather be doing anything other than revising maths on a Saturday with Sebastian, and yet you've been doing so well with your tutoring sessions. I'm proud of you, Jorgito." 

"Aww, and I'm proud of you too, chica! And I will be proud of you whether you get an A* or don't get a grade at all. You're doing amazing, I promise," Jorge told her, as they headed down to break together, glad to have one of their toughest exams out the way. 

.. 

"Right, settle down, everyone. I want you all to get into groups of two or three and I want you all to write a script for a conversation you would have when ordering food in a restaurant. And then at the end of the lesson, we are going to perform them.

"So, say for example I was partnered with you, Thomas.." Mr Frieling turned to Thomas, who was sitting the closest to where he was standing, "I would maybe take the role of the customer, and you would take the role of the waiter." 

Thomas, who was trying to work harder in lessons now, particularly Mr Frieling's Spanish lessons, nodded. "Got it, Mr Frieling." 

"Does everyone understand?" Mr Frieling addressed the whole class, and everyone nodded their heads, indicating they did. 

"Great. Okay, get into pairs or threes, please." 

Everyone immediately began shuffling around the room, getting into small groups - all except for one student. Joachim. He would usually work with Motsi and Jorge in a little group of three, but that was obviously out of the question now. And the two people that he could have possibly asked to be his partner - Craig and Jonathan - weren't in school. Jonathan had been sick this morning, so had stayed off school just in case, and Craig left just before lunch due to having a dentist's appointment he needed to get to. So whilst everyone else began to get to work on their task, Joachim just sat there, reading the piece of work he had done for the Spanish wall display last year, a short fact file. They had all had to write fifteen facts about themselves, and Joachim was surprised to still see it on the wall, not replaced by any of the pieces of work Mr Frieling's class this year had done. 

1\. I was born on 28th November in Duisberg, Germany. 

2\. I'm German-Spanish - my mum is from Barcelona, and my dad was born in Frankfurt. 

3\. My favourite sport is golf, and even though I know that some people think it's boring, I've been playing it since I was really young and love it. I also really enjoy swimming, but golf will always be my favourite. 

4\. My favourite musical is Joseph and the Amazing Technicoloured Dreamcoat because I love the songs (especially "Any Dream Will Do") and the plotline. 

5\. I used to be terrified of fireworks and I once sat under a table in a restaurant on New Year's crying because I was so scared. 

6\. I don't have a middle name. 

7\. I'm an only child. Sometimes I wish I had siblings, but being an only child has its advantages! 

8\. I have a pet tortoise. I have always wanted a dog, but my dad is allergic, so I've sadly never been able to have one. 

9\. My favourite food is raisin bread. 

10\. My best friends are called Jorge Gonzalez and Motsi Mabuse. Jorge is Cuban and an extremely positive and confident person, and we get on really well although we are very different people. Motsi is from South Africa, and she is one of the most positive people I have ever met - and she always supports me no matter what. 

11\. I really like sharks. 

12\. I speak English, German and Spanish, and I also speak a few sentences in Afrikaans and French. 

13\. I hate homophobia, racism, and bananas (although my friend Jorge is addicted to bananas and eats them all the time) 

14\. If I had to describe myself in three words, those words would be introverted, supportive, and shy. 

15\. I don't know what I want to work as in the future - my dad is a banker and stockbroker, and my mum works online, but I think I would like to do something different. I have a few ideas of things I would like to happen to me in the future - I would like to get married, and have children - but my main goal is to, in 20 years from now, just be doing something that makes me happy. 

"Joachim? Is everything okay?" Mr Frieling appeared at Joachim's side, looking very concerned for the student. "Aren't you going to get into a group?" 

It was a simple question, but the words immediately made Joachim's eyes well up with tears and he answered very curtly, "No, I'm not, Mr Frieling." 

Instantly, he regretted it, remembering the last time that he answered Mr Frieling back, and the way he had received detention. But fortunately, Mr Frieling seemed to be just concerned, rather than angry. Sitting down next to him, he asked, "why not..?" 

"Because I've not got anyone to be in a group with," replied Joachim, still rather bluntly, looking over at Jorge and Motsi before his face crumpled and he began to cry. 

At that moment, Mr Frieling became even more concerned about the German-Spaniard that sat in front of him. The way that he had struggled so much with that maths exam, and the way that he looked so sad all the time, and the way that his grades had been slipping - and the way that now, he was sitting in front of him crying - really worried the teacher. He could tell there was something quite wrong, and so that was why he said in a soft tone of voice, "come and see me after the lesson, okay? I'd like to have a little chat with you." 

Joachim couldn't think of anything he would like to do less, but he nodded, not wanting to get into trouble for talking back. He already counted himself lucky that Mr Frieling hadn't been angry about him sounding less than polite just a moment ago. 

"Do you want to go and wash your face..?" the teacher asked gently, and Joachim nodded. "Okay. Go and wash your face, and when you come back I'll find you someone to work with, okay?" 

Joachim didn't like that idea either - he would have much preferred to sit at the back of the classroom and work on something alone - but he nodded, before leaving the room silently, heading straight to the bathroom to wash his face. When he came back, five or so minutes later, Mr Frieling met him at the door and smiled, "good to see you back. Why don't you go and work with Thomas..?" 

Joachim internally groaned, not at all wanting to work with the aspiring pop star who wore a lot of hair gel and happened to come from the same part of Germany as he did. But he nodded obediently, managed a smile, and walked over and sat down in the spare chair next to Thomas. 

"Hello, my fellow Duisberger," Thomas said, pushing his book towards Joachim. "Please check that. Are there any mistakes, and is there anything you would change..?" 

Joachim took the book from him and began to read what his classmate had written in rather messy handwriting. 

"The word restaurante is not feminine, it's masculine," he told Thomas at last, handing him back his book. "And the word for steak is bistec, or you could use filete.. and ensalada is a feminine word, not masculine." 

"Right, I'll change it. You copy this down and then we can finish it together." 

His attitude to school work has improved somewhat, Joachim thought, as he took out his exercise book and began to copy down what Thomas had written in his own rather large and messy handwriting. A few months ago, it was likely the aspiring popstar would have sat there in his chair lazily and expected Joachim to do all the work for him. But today, it was much more of a joint effort, and by the end of the lesson, when Mr Frieling started choosing people to stand up and read theirs out, they had written a page and a half of dialogue. 

Motsi and Jorge weren't chosen to read theirs aloud, which Motsi was extremely glad about. Standing up before the class and speaking Spanish was something she wanted to avoid at all costs. Jason and Ashley were, though, and Mr Frieling was impressed greatly by their script. He had never taught Ashley, but he had heard good reports from Mrs Kelly (the two of them often discussed their students in the staff room), and was impressed by what he heard from the boy. Shirley and Darcey were also chosen, and Giovanni, Graziano and Bruno, and then Joachim and Thomas were chosen as the final two to read theirs. Joachim reading as the waiter, Thomas as the client, the two of them performed their script for their classmates, and at the end, everyone clapped. Even Jorge and Motsi were clapping, although Jorge deliberately didn't look at Joachim as he did so, instead pretending to be very interested in the shoes he was wearing. 

"Thank you all for a wonderful, educational lesson! I'll take all your books and I'll mark your work, those of you who didn't get to read," Mr Frieling said, as the bell rang and everyone began to gather up their stuff. "Joachim, please can you stay behind..? I need to talk to you - what lesson do you have next..?" 

Feeling everyone staring at him, wondering exactly why Mr Frieling wanted to talk to him in private, the German-Spaniard replied, "drama with Miss Phillips." 

"Okay, I'm going to go and ask Miss Phillips to excuse you for a while. Sit down there, and I'll be straight back," Mr Frieling instructed Joachim, and he reluctantly sat down at the spare chair at Mr Frieling's desk, hoping that the chat would be quick. The idea of sitting down and having a chat with someone who already wasn't his favourite person was not an appealing one at all. 

Whilst he waited for Mr Frieling to return, Joachim read some of the About Me pieces of writing his class from last year had done for the wall display. By the time the Spanish teacher returned, Joachim had learned that Thomas was afraid of birds, that Shirley's favourite colour was emerald green, that Giovanni really loved the musical Dreamgirls, and that Darcey really hated fried food, among many other little facts. 

"Right," Mr Frieling said, shutting the door and coming to sit down at the desk opposite Joachim. "Don't look worried.. you're not in trouble or anything. I just want to have a little chat with you about how you're doing." 

"I'm fine," replied Joachim, not looking up. 

"Are you though..?" Mr Frieling raised his eyebrows. 

"Yes," replied Joachim, though not at all convincingly. 

"I don't think you are. Not to mention what happened in my lesson today, you've been sitting alone almost every single day for weeks, your grades are slipping, you seem to have no self-confidence at all, and today, I saw you struggling in your maths exam. You'd completely gone blank. And I may not teach you maths, Joachim, but I know from Mrs Price that you're a pretty able student. So I don't believe that you're okay. What's going on?" 

Joachim didn't answer, looking down at his lap, twisting his hands together. 

"What's going on, Joachim?" Mr Frieling repeated in an urgent tone. 

Joachim still didn't answer, worried that if he opened his mouth he would start crying. 

"You, Jorge and Motsi have fallen out, haven't you..?" Mr Frieling changed tactic, and Joachim responded with a small nod. "I thought so. That must be very upsetting for all of you. What happened..? If you tell me, I might be able to help you fix it." 

"I don't think that fixing it is possible," Joachim replied dully. 

"Friends fall out all the time at your age. And I should know." Memories of Mr Frieling's school days flooded back into his mind, memories of fall outs and arguments with his friends that had seemed so major when he was sixteen, but now seemed so trivial. "I know sometimes it can seem like it's major, but I'm sure that you'll all talk it out and be friends again soon enough." 

Joachim shook his head. "It won't.. it won't get better. I don't think they can ever forgive me.. not after what happened." 

"Joachim, very few things are completely unforgivable, you know. Why don't you tell me about what you're upset about, and we can try and solve it together?" 

Joachim shook his head, looking down at his lap again, sinking down even further into his seat. 

"I.. it's not Jorge and Motsi's fault. Please don't call them in and tell them off. They.. I.. before I came here, I used to go to a school the other side of the country. And when I was there.. I really hurt somebody. And my friends found out about it.. and now they don't want to talk to me. And I don't blame them." 

Mr Frieling nodded to show he understood, and Joachim continued, "I.. basically I revealed a secret that my friend wasn't ready to reveal, and I did it because I was angry and upset about something they did to me. And.. and I just feel so bad about it.. and I just wish that I could turn back time and not do what I did. Maybe if I hadn't.. I wouldn't feel this guilty now and I would still have friends." 

"I see," Mr Frieling nodded in understanding. "Is this friend of yours in your class right now, by any chance..?" 

Joachim's eyes widened in surprise. 

"I do know that you and Jason come from the same school, and I've not been able to help noticing that the two of you don't get along at all. I'm not going to ask for more details on what went on between you and all your friends, because I can see you're not really up for talking about it, but I will say this - it may seem at the moment like you all can't forgive each other for whatever happened, but sometimes, things just take time. Very few things are completely unforgivable." 

"I just.. it feels like what I did was unforgivable. And though I'm not sure if I deserve them.. I really miss hanging around with Jorge and Motsi. And I just wish I'd either told them before, or even better, not done what I did at all," Joachim whispered, still twisting his hands together, and his eyes welled with tears once more and a few spilled down his cheeks. 

Over his teaching career, Mr Frieling had dealt with several students who had personal problems and who were struggling. He had always encouraged students to come to him if they needed to talk about anything, knowing that bottling things up was about the worst thing that anyone could do, and he made sure to regularly remind his students that he was there for them and that their feelings were always valid. And even though he hadn't managed to get round to talking with them all yet, he knew well that there were a lot of students in this year's year eleven class that were struggling. Year Eleven was often a tough year on all the students, the pressure of exams getting to them as well as the stress of deciding a levels and sixth forms, and the next steps that they were going to take. Consequently, there were often tears and struggles. That was never unusual. But this year, it seemed to Mr Frieling that there was way more going on between some of the oldest students than ever before. Jason. Craig. Jonathan. Joachim. Jorge. Motsi. And others. And it especially made him sad right now to see Joachim, who had gained so much confidence since he arrived at the school and made friends, looking so sad all the time and lacking all that confidence once more. 

"Joachim, do you have any hobbies?" the teacher questioned, and though Joachim felt it was rather a random question to be asked, he nodded. 

"Yes. I like golf.. and I've also recently gone back to dance classes." 

"Both wonderful hobbies! I'll let you in on a little secret - I rather like golf myself." 

Joachim managed a small smile, rather surprised that Mr Frieling was a fan of golf. "Do you..?" 

"Yes! My wife and I often spend our weekends at the golf course! And I actually wanted to be a dancer when I was younger, but that didn't work out."

"So you.. so you became a teacher?" 

"So I became a teacher. Anyway, going back to you - I know just hard it is, but look at your situation this way. Right now, you are less than three months away from finishing your exams. Are you planning on coming to sixth form here, or are you thinking of transferring schools?" 

"I'm thinking of coming here at the moment," Joachim replied, thinking that it wouldn't be entirely tactful telling Mr Frieling he had been thinking about moving in September just so that he didn't face Jorge and Motsi, who had already planned to come back for sixth form here, every single day. 

"Fantastic! What a levels are you thinking of doing, out of interest?" 

"I'm definitely thinking Spanish.." Joachim noticed that Mr Frieling, who taught a level Spanish at their school, smiled at that, "and I'm actually thinking about maybe giving sociology a try. I'm not sure about my third yet.. maybe English, but I'm not sure." 

"Well, you've got plenty of time to think, so don't worry about it too much now," advised Mr Frieling. "Okay, so you're three months away from finishing your exams. And what I think you should do is this. Keep coming to school, work as hard as you can, and try and concentrate and keep your head down. I know that the reason you struggled so much in the maths exam today and the reason you're struggling isn't because of a lack of intelligence - I know and all your teachers know that you're actually very bright, Joachim. When you were in my class for Spanish, your work was always of a really high standard, and I was always really impressed with you. It's not a lack of intelligence, but rather, because you've probably not been putting as much time and effort into your studies recently because of everything going on with you and your friends. Am I right?" 

Joachim nodded, honestly. "I've been finding it hard to concentrate recently." 

"And I totally understand that. I really do. But ultimately, Joachim, these grades are going to play a big part in your future, and we all want you to get the best grades possible." 

"I'll try and work harder," Joachim replied, dully. 

"I really do understand how hard it can be sometimes.. but do try and channel your energy into studying. Go to class, hand in homework, revise for upcoming exams - do 30 minutes of revision, then have a short break, and then do another 30 minutes. Keep playing golf and dancing - they're both fantastic hobbies to have - and if you have any other friends out of school, then keep up your friendship with them." Joachim straight away thought of Sofia as he said that. "Then in three months time, you'll have finished your GCSE exams, and you'll have that whole summer ahead of you. And I'm sure that by the time you return in September, you and your friends will have made it up." 

Joachim didn't believe what Mr Frieling said about him, Jorge and Motsi making up, but his words were so kind that more tears spilled down his face and onto his lap. 

"Joachim, are you sure you don't want me to call Jorge and Motsi in and have a chat with them..? Whatever happened between the three of you, I might be able to help." 

"No." Joachim began twisting his hands again. 

"Are you sure..? I honestly don't mind. I might be able to-" 

"No, please don't," Joachim practically begged, suddenly sounding really stressed at the suggestion. Though in a small way he was actually tempted to ask Mr Frieling to have a chat with his two former best friends, he knew that (mostly Jorge) would probably be even more furious at him for telling him about what had happened between them. "Please.. please don't. I'm fine." 

Mr Frieling raised his eyebrows, but thought better of pushing the matter any more, for he sighed "okay. I'll let you go back to your class now, Joachim, but if you want me to talk with anyone or just want to talk about something, then you know my classroom door is always open." 

Joachim nodded and even managed a small smile at the teacher that he had been annoyed with for over a year now thanks to the detention that Mr Frieling issued him. "Thank.. thank you, Mr Frieling." 

"You're more than welcome, Joachim. And you know.. things have a way of turning out just fine eventually. You would be surprised."

Joachim smiled at him, though he still didn't really believe him, thanked him once more and then began to head down to the drama classroom. Deciding he couldn't be any later than he already was to class, he went into the bathroom, glad to see nobody in there. He didn't want to be asked any questions from other students not in year eleven about why his eyes still looked red. 

As he came out of the bathrooms a few moments later, having bathed his eyes, he collided with someone, knocking the books they were holding onto the floor. 

"Will you watch where you're going?" Jorge practically shouted at him in Spanish, glaring at Joachim as he bent down to retrieve the books. 

"I'm sorry.. I thought you were in.." 

"In class..? Yeah, I was.. until the teacher sent me to take these books that you just knocked out of my hand back to the library."

"Oh." Joachim nodded and made to get away, but Jorge stopped him. 

"What did Mr Frieling want you for..?" With Motsi not around, Jorge completely lost his filter, tearing into the German-Spaniard. "Because I swear to God, if you've been telling lies about Motsi and I, saying we're bullying you or some dumb shit, I might actually go mental. Although it wouldn't surprise me, considering how you lied to Motsi and I for almost two years.." 

"I didn't tell lies about you and Motsi. He.. he asked me if I was okay.. because he.. he saw me go blank in the maths exam today.. and I.. I said that.. that.. that we weren't friends anymore but that it was my.. my fault." Joachim tripped over his words several times, causing the Cuban in front of him to roll his eyes and tap his foot impatiently. 

"Yeah, damn right it's your fault," Jorge snapped. "All of this is your fault. I'm so-" he stopped himself from adding a curse word, "glad you realise that. Now, can I go and take these books to the library please, before the teacher gets angry at me for being out of class too long?" 

Joachim nodded. 

"Good." Jorge spat the word, giving Joachim another one of his looks, that made him feel like he was something truly disgusting. "You should go back to class as well.. I think you of all people need to attend classes, after this week." 

And with that, the Cuban shot Joachim another disgusted look and stormed off in the direction of the library, leaving Joachim standing in the middle of the corridor, wondering how somebody he was once closer to than anyone had become somebody who seemed to truly despise him.


End file.
